Child of Fate
by Rosabell
Summary: When Seto appeared at the game shop one day and warned Yugi that his grandfather will have a heart attack at four thirty, that was the time when Seto showed his abilities. After that, Yami and the other Millennium Spirits realized there was something wron
1. Default Chapter

Child of Fate  


Chapter 1

Seto didn't know why he's doing this.

Fine. He knew why. But he couldn't believe he actually cared. He had to admit, he did though. He was scared out of his mind when it happened.

He was working at his computer at work like always. Then it hit him. He saw the old man, falling down the stairs, grasping his heart. The date was November fifth, which was that day, and the time was four thirty. He saw the clock. He saw the calendar. And god, he saw that man's face, full of surprise, full of pain.

Which was why Seto's standing alone in that Turtle Game Shop, waiting to be noticed.

" What are you doing here, Kaiba?"

_Oh boy, Yami._ Seto sighed. He held his face in his hands. Of course. He should have remembered. He can't just tell Yugi and Yami, ' Guess what! Your grandpa is going to have a heart attack at four thirty today! You have about thirty minutes left! Tick tock tick tock!'

No, he can't do that. So how is he going to break this to them?

_How do I even know that vision is real?_ He wondered. _And even if it is, why do I care?_

That was the question he had been asking for a long time. He was asking himself on the way here. Why did he bother going out early from work just because of some stupid vision?

But Seto knew in the back of his mind...it was real. It was as real as he was right here. And as much as he probably didn't like Yugi, he didn't want to see the poor man die.

How is this going to change it?

" Well?" Yami was getting annoyed, and also a little nervous. Seto is acting very weird now.  
" Does your grandfather have any heart problems?" Seto asked.

_Oh gee, that's going to get you somewhere. One hippopatamus. Two-  
_" No...why do you ask?" Yugi asked.  
  
That was it. Seto's going to break it to them as brutally as possible, and he didn't care if they don't believe him.  
" You're grandpa's going to have a heart attack at four thirty."

_Gee, that's smart._ Seto wanted to hit himself on the head. _Like they're going to believe you now. But do I really have a choice?"_

" And please don't look at me as if I'm crazy because I'm not."

_Well, now they're going to think you're crazy. Smart Seto!_

Yami was silent for a long moment. First of all, it isn't like Seto to just come in here, be silent and ignore him for a long moment, and then just tell them that Sugoruku is going to have a heart attack at what time. So that can only mean that Seto is telling the truth.

No, that cannot mean Seto is telling the truth. The thing is too absurd.

" Pardon?" Yugi blinked.

Seto sighed and looked at the clock. 4:09.

_Let's see, Seto Kaiba, use that brain of yours. Everyone thinks you have brains so it's time to prove that._ Seto held his head in his hand for a moment, and was staring at the clock.

4:10.

" I give up!" Seto sighed, and started towards the exit. Yugi and Yami were too surprised to stop him.

_That really got you somewhere, Seto._ He thought to himself. _You wasted a good deal of time in there! Now, not only didn't you stop anything bad from happening, Yugi and that yami of his now think you're nuts!_

" Well I consider myself crazy." Seto said to that voice in his head. He sighed. God, this just stinks!

  
  
" What do you suppose he's talking about?" Yugi asked.  
" He said that Grandpa is going to have a heart attack." Yami blinked. " Why though? Your grandfather was always healthy..."

4:13

" Did he do some kind of trick?" Yugi asked.  
" I doubt it. Did you notice what he looked like" Yami stared at the clock. " And he's always staring at the clock, and he looked like he was having a difficult time trying to speak."

While they were discussing this, Yugi's grandfather called to them, asking who had just come in.

" It was Kaiba, Ji-chan." Yugi answered. " He was acting weird today, but he left."  
" Oh." Sugoruku nodded. ( I'm not sure how to spell his name.) " I see. Well, I'm going to carry these cards to the basement."   
" Need help, Ji-chan?" Yugi asked.  
" Iie, you don't need to help. It's only one box." The old man smiled. Then he began loading the cards into the box in an orderly fashion.

Yugi grabbed a wet towel and began cleaning off the counters. Yami helped.

  
  
4:29

Sugoruku carried the huge box down the stairs. It was dark in there, and it smelled like cardboard boxes.

There was a sudden pain in his chest. At first, it was alright, nothing much really. 

Then it started to get intense. Really, _really _intense.

  
  
" What was that?"

Yami and Yugi froze. They both heard it. A distinct sound of something tumbling down the stairs. Immediately, Seto's words came to mind.

" Ji-chan? Ji-chan!?"

  
  
Seto cursed himself. Why is he at the hospital? No doubt those two wouldn't want to see him again.

Sighing, he knew the answer. He felt sorry for the old man. He wanted to make sure that his failure wasn't that much of a failure, and that there was still hope. After all, he changed one thing-one tiny thing. He told them.

He saw those two. And Jou, and Mai, and everyone else.

_Kami-sama._

" Hey, Kaiba, what are you doin here?" Jou asked.  
" Yugi, is your grandfather alright?" Seto asked.  
" Hai, he's going to be alright. We got to him in time." Yugi forced a smile. 

Seto held his head in his hand. " Look, I'm really sorry about earlier-"  
" It's alright." Yugi interrupted him. " There's nothing you could have done."

Seto rubbed his temple. He was having a big headache.

" Ano, I know this may sound weird, but what the heck is goin on here?" Jou asked.  
" I have no idea." Yugi answered. " Seemed like Kaiba knew that Ji-chan was going to have a heart attack."

Yami appeared then. He studied the tired Seto Kaiba for a long moment.

" Care to explain, Kaiba?" He began.

Seto sighed and sat down heavily beside Yugi, silent.

_ Hai, why DID you decide to make sure that old man is alright? You KNEW that they're going to expect you to explain. They would most definetely-_

Because I care, HELLO! Seto answered in his mind.

But outwardly he suddenly felt so tired and he stared at Yami for a long moment. He knew the other was growing impatient but he was so tired these days, so tired. He didn't want to explain.

" Well?"

" I can see the future." Seto finally answered. " I use to be able to see the future until Otou-san died in that accident. Then this power abandoned me or something. It came back fresh, but it took a lot of energy, so I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't ask any more questions-I'm too weary."

_Uhhh, right? Ano, since when did you start admitting that you're tired?_

_Shut up. Let's just hope this works. I'm more tired than usual._

Surprisingly, it worked. Yami nodded, as if understanding. Or maybe because of how pitiful he looked, but Seto didn't really care at the moment.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw that it was Yugi.

" How's Mokuba?"

*FLASH!*

_ Mokuba was coughing badly and his eyes were glazed over. Seto stepped in, tired after meeting Yugi and the others. The time was nine twenty, and the date was that night. Seto blinked at Mokuba._

" Mokuba, are you alright?"  
" Oni-chan, I think I'm getting sick-"

*FLASH!*

" I need to go!" Seto suddenly bolted up and ran down the hallway. The nurses looked at him as if he was crazy.  
" Ano...what just happened?" Honda asked.  
" Did you feel that?" Yami blinked. " He had another vision, I think. I'd swear his blue eyes were glowing blue."

Yugi nodded in agreement. " We'll ask him about it later, when Ji-chan recovers."  
" Hai." Yami nodded. " We owe him one."

  
  
" Here, drink this." Seto looked at the clock. He still had half an hour, which means he still had a chance. Mokuba blinked at him before gulping down the bitter herbal juice, and Seto handed him some chocolate.  
" Why are you acting like this Oni-chan?" Mokuba asked.  
" I can tell the future again."

Mokuba blinked, then chewed his chocolate thoughtfully. " Really?" He beamed. " That's great!"  
" Look Mokuba, I'm really tired. But do you want to stay in my room?" Seto asked. " I won't be doing anything tonight because I know I won't need to."

Seto smiled at seeing Mokuba's shining eyes. " Oni-chan, you're the best!!"

  
  
The next day was a Saturday. Yugi got his grandfather home from the hospital somewhere around noon. It was a wonderful day, the sun was shining, the clouds were snowy white. That was when Yugi and the others decided to make his way to Kaiba's mansion.

The mansion was actually pretty far away. It took them around an hour to get there. When they got there, they rang the bell, and Mokuba answered.

" Hi Mokuba." Yugi smiled cheerfully. " How's your brother?"  
" Oh...he has a pretty big headache right now. He was just planning on calling you." Mokuba called out. " Oni-chan! Yugi and the others are here!"

Seto walked over. " Oh dear." He groaned. " I don't know when it's going to happen this time. Darn it."  
" What's going to happen?" Mokuba asked. Seto beckoned the others in. Then he closed the door and locked it. The door clicked, he banged his head on the door once, then turned around.  
" What are you here for again? Oh, right, my fortune telling powers. Listen, I've been really screwing up with my words these days, so I'm going to say as little as possible, and since Mokuba knows everything, Mokuba, come onstage, you guys ask him whatever you want and leave me alone!" 

Turning around, Seto left his surprised guests to themselves with Mokuba, and went upstairs.

" Ano...what's that about?" Honda asked.  
" Oh, he's in a bad mood." Mokuba answered quickly, looking at his brother in worry. " He seems to know what you're going to ask."  
" Hai, that was what I was thinking." Yami materialized beside Yugi. " Do you know?"  
" Iie. I don't have that power." Mokuba began, as they all sat down. " Oni-chan always had the power of telling the future when he was young. It's creepy. He knew that oka-san was going to die if she had me and he told Otou-san. They didn't believe him." Mokuba looked down. " Oni-chan said that it wasn't my fault. It was his. He knew it and should have done something. But it wasn't his fault, you know. And that time when Otou-san died in the car accident. Oni-chan told him that he will. Otou-san didn't listen. Oni-chan felt that he should have done something. But then that power just vanished, or maybe he didn't pay much attention to it, so he didn't see any visions for many years."

Yami looked at Yugi. " How odd. We have a prophet here."

Yugi looked at Yami for a moment. " What do you mean?"  
" Looks like Kaiba can see the future quite accurately. He doesn't even need the cards to do that, nor the Millennium Items. But why is he having a headache, Mokuba?"  
" I don't know. He sometimes gets strong headaches when the vision is very strong. Probably when he saw your grandpa, the vision was very strong, so he had a headache. Or if he had too much, but I doubt it."  
" Okay...is there anything special about his fortune telling?" Anzu asked. " I'm just curious."  
" Well..." Mokuba thought for a moment. " He...he usually has visions about people he cares about. The only other type of vision he gets is things related to himself. Like what will happen to _him._ I'm surprised that he had a vision about your grandpa. I thought he hated you guys."

The group looked at each other.

" Okay, that's weird." Jou muttered.  
" That certainly is." Yami looked at Seto's room. But there was a tender look in his eyes.

  
  
" Arigatou for the ride, Seto." Anzu smiled. " That's very sweet of you."  
" Don't bother thanking me. Thank the lord that you won't be dead tonight."  
" What do you mean?" Yugi blinked.  
" Seto, did you have another vision upstairs?" Ryou asked.

Seto was silent.

  
  
In his mind, he was replaying the thing over and over again. Yugi and his group will be walking down the street. Along will come a driver driving at a high speed. He will try to brake but he will hit all the kids at once. Then another driver will hit the first one, then another, then another, until there was no chance for Yugi or his friends to survive.

Suddenly, he jerked.

  
  
*FLASH!*

_" It's starting to rain." Jou said, looking out the window. 1:45.  
" Wasn't it sunny just a minute ago?" Honda asked. " Wow! It's pouring!"  
" Seems almost unnatural to me." Ryou blinked. " What do you think, Seto?"_

Seto shrugged. Could be anything.

There was a swirl. 2:13.

The driver tried to break. There was a horrible screech. Seto felt himself thrown forward.  
Something crashed into them. He saw Yugi tumble forward. His shirt was red. Jou hit the front of the car. Anzu cut her windpipe with the seatbelt.  
  
Something crashed into them again. 2:14:16. The back of the limo was tilted up and everyone fell to the front.

2:14:23. The car had flipped over. 

There was a swirl. 3:56 p.m. There was an ambulence. Seto saw himself being carried into one. Beside him was Yugi. There was a cloth covering his body. He was dead.

" Forty cars and trucks were in the accident, causing the deaths of seventy people and injuring hundreds of others..."

*FLASH!*

" Seto, are you alright?"  
" It's starting to rain." Jou looked out the window. Seto looked at the clock on the radio. 1:45.  
" Wasn't it sunny just a minute ago?" Honda asked. " Wow! It's pouring!"

Seto looked himself. Indeed, it was. Just a minute ago, it was sunny. Now the sky was dark and the roads were thoroughly wet.

" Seems almost unnatural to me." Ryou blinked. " What do you think, Seto?"  
" Driver, stop the car." Seto commanded, to the surprise of others.  
" Seto?" Yugi was the one that had first spoken. " Did you see something?"

Seto ignored him. " Driver, make a u-turn over there. We're driving back to the mansion."  
" What are you, nuts?" Jou cried. " What are you doin?"  
" Did we start the accident or was there others?" Seto blinked. " Never mind. Driver, drive slowly."

They slowed down. Everyone in the limo was blinking at him. They arrived at the mansion at two thirteen.

Seto took out his keys and unlocked the door. He hurried everyone in, shutting the door while calling to his brother.

" Mokuba! Switch on the television to the news channel!"

The answer was a sudden voice of a reporter.  
" ...Breaking news.A devastating accident has occurred down on 56th Avenue. Thirty nine cars and trucks were in the accident, causing the deaths of around fifty to sixty people and injuring hundreds of others-"  
" Kuso!" Seto yelled. " It didn't work!"

But the others were looking at him. They suddenly realized why Seto had turned back.

Saturday afternoon at 2:14 p.m. 


	2. Chapter 2

Child of Fate

Chapter 2

" I have honestly never seen someone more...accurate." Yami shook his head. " Good Ra! Even the prophet back at Egypt, the old prophet whom the gods loved even _he_ wasn't as accurate as Seto was!"

Seto put down his fork. He suddenly lost his appetite.   
" So did you lose this power somehow?" Honda asked.

Seto was silent for a moment.  
" I guess." Seto answered finally. " There was a time when I didn't have any more visions." He said nothing more.

Yami looked at him queerly. Seto wasn't telling them something. 

  
  
Seto was tired. Why was he tired? Even when working his hardest with the company he had never been this tired.

  
  
*FLASH!*

_ Out of a painting the blonde and beautiful woman stepped out. She was in a castle.  
" Pegasus..."_

*FLASH!*

_ Seto was standing there, facing Weevil. He was tired like before. Weevil was going to draw his great moth out of its cocoon._

*FLASH!*

_" Pegasus, stop!" Seto yelled. Pegasus did not have an evil look in his eyes. In fact, he had a serious and concerned look. Nevertheless, Seto was afraid. " What are you doing?"  
" Why are you asking me?" The other man answered, his voice sounding nervous. " You're the one that's seeing these visions! I'm trying to help you! But first of all, how can you explain that?!"_

Seto looked back. There was a painting. A chair. Next to the window. But before, there had been a blonde and beautiful woman sitting there, poised, smiling. Now, everything was there. Except for the one in the spotlight.  
" What happened to Cecilia?"

*FLASH!*

" Seto?"

Seto groaned, feeling his body sway. He felt pain on his side and sudden coldness. Dark shadows swirled before his eyes. Strong arms pulled him up and cradled him. He opened his eyes. Dimly he could make out ruby red eyes. Yami.

" Get some water!"

*FLASH!*

_" Listen to me, Seto," Seto continued to struggle against the arms that held him. " Listen to me! You have to understand. Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you. I found out what was wrong with you. Onegai, let me help you. That was what Fate has been doing!"  
" Leave me alone!" Seto shouted, growling, although his heart tightened with fear. He bucked and kicked, finally freeing himself. Then he bolted. He did not turn back-_

Suddenly he fell. Someone covered his body and pinned Seto to the ground.  
" Seto," said the voice, " I know what is wrong with you. You have to listen to me. I want to help you."  
" If you want to help me, then let me go!" Seto jerked, but the body was too heavy. He couldn't move. He was suffocating. He was being squished to death. Darkness was before his eyes.  
" The only way to help you is-"

*FLASH!*

_" Hey babe, whatcha doin?" Said a man with brown hair and green eyes. Anzu sneered and turned around. Honda came forward.  
" What do you want with her, Duncan?" He hissed.  
" You stay away from her, Honda." Duncan answered. " Or you'll have a piece of "_

A swirl. Nighttime. Honda lay on the floors of the alley, blood pouring from his mouth. Footsteps came running.  
" Honda? Honda?" Then Jou appeared. He stared at his friend and for a long while could not move...

December twenty fifth. Christmas.

*FLASH!*

_ It was hot. It was really hot. The sands were burning at his feet. Seto looked up and saw the sun.  
" Pharaoh, it is time." He said to someone beside him.  
  
The Pharaoh nodded. " Come, Seto. The prophet says that you need help now. Shall we?"_

*FLASH!*

  
  
Seto screamed. He clutched at his eyes, choking on the water. Yami grabbed his head and began to warm it, wiping off the sweat and stroking it. He did not know why, but he thought it made sense. Seto's blue eyes were glowing. The color inside the rings were bright and Seto was pale and trembling. Seto was in pain.

Ryou grabbed Seto's hand and Yugi the other, but Yami supported most of Seto's upper body.

" Carry him to the couch." Honda said, and Anzu lead the frightened Mokuba away.   
" His head!" Mokuba cried. " The pain always comes from his eyes, and goes up to the head! You need to keep it warm!"

Just as Yami thought. Though cold might have been more logical, he felt that it might bring more visions. Warmth coaxes sleep.

Yami began stroking Seto's hair and massaging the back of his head, knowing the two points that connect with the eyes. Seto's eyes flickered a little, and the glow faded every so slightly.

" He's so light." He said to Yami Bakura, who had been startled out. Yami Bakura blinked. He was not interested in the CEO at first, until he noticed his glowing eyes. Not offering any help, the yami was content to just watch as Yami Yugi comforted the tall boy. Finally, the glow died. Seto closed his eyes. Then he tried to sit up.

" Ah, iie, not if you value your...sanity." Yami warned. Seto looked at him.  
" What just happened?" He asked.  
" Aren't you going to tell us?" Yami Bakura was not happy.  
" Iie, I meant...am I on a couch?" Seto made one more attempt to sit up, but was pushed down by Honda. " I am on a couch! How long did that happen? Owwww..." He gave up. His eyes hurt.

" You had us worried sick, man." Jou said to him. Seto suddenly waved his hand at him for him to stop talking. He was still holding his eyes.

" What happened?" Yami asked after a moment.  
" I went to vision overdrive." Seto answered while trying to massage his eyes. " I was seeing all these things so quickly. Last time it happened was the last time it happened before I totally bro-" He stopped.  
" Before you totally what?" Yami asked.  
" Before the accident." Seto answered.

Yami Bakura narrowed his eyes at Seto suspiciously. He didn't say anything though.

" Uhn, it's starting again," Seto paled. Yami immediately started doing what he did before, doing anything to get the blood to flow into the brain. Seto's eyes flickered for a brief moment before dying.

  
  
" I swear there is something really wrong with him." Yami Bakura said to Yami. Not that he cared though.

Really?

" He's awfully light." Yami kept on saying. " Do you think he might be sick?"  
" Why should I care?" The tomb robber sniffed.

To his surprise Yami suddenly started laughing.  
" Ah, I know you, Bakura. You always seem that way. Aren't you curious about _your_ future?"  
" Nani?" But Yami was already gone, off to Yugi's guestroom.  
" Matte!"

  
  
*FLASH!*

_ The Pharaoh stood proud and tall at the top of the altar above the crowd. This time, Seto could not understand what he was saying. His eyes looked over and spotted him, and while he spoke his eyes remained on him. Seto shivered. Why was the Pharaoh looking at him like that?_

A swirl. Forboth Year 3. Noontime. Seto was called to the royal chambers and the Pharaoh greeted him kindly.  
" I've noticed you have magical powers, Seto." He began. " And rather strong ones, to command the Blue Eyes White Dragon."  
" Yes, Pharaoh."

A swirl. Forboth Year 4. Seto was attacked at night and violated. The next day he was no longer the same. The Pharaoh worried but did not suspect.

*FLASH!*

_" Seto!"_

" Seto!"  
  
*FLASH!*

" Seto, are you alright?"

Seto looked at Yami Bakura. What the heck?  
" What are you doing here?"  
" What do you think? With you screaming and all that, I couldn't even have a moment's peace!" 

Seto sighed. " I'm sorry. It was disturbing."  
" What did you see?"  
" The past. And..." Seto stared at Yami Bakura for a moment. Then he paled.  
" Nani?" Yami Bakura blinked.  
" Kami-sama..." Seto breathed, before getting out of bed and hurrying as far away from Yami Bakura as possible. His eyes began glowing again. Yami Bakura sighed in relief as Jou and Honda came in.

" Yo, Seto, what's...the matter with you? Seto?"

  
  
*FLASH!*

_" I see people dying."  
" What else do you see?"  
" Blood. Murder. Darkness and shadows. Eyes of mortals that are glazed with madness."  
" Are you afraid, Seto?"  
" Hai. I'm very very afraid."_

*FLASH!*

_" I see people dying."  
" What else do you see?"  
" Old spirits leaking out of their tombs. Characters from paintings moving from the paper, from the frames, their ghostly hands stretching out to me."  
" Are you afraid, Seto?"  
" Hai. I'm very very afraid."  
" Why?"  
" I don't want to know."_

*FLASH!*

Seto realized he had fallen again and this time it was Yami Bakura who was trying to stop the visions. He had a look on his face that suggested annoyance.

And no wonder too.

" Would you stop screaming?"

Seto sighed. This is getting annoying. Now he's falling all over the place.

_ Jolly._

" Seto, come on." Yami helped him up. Seto sighed.  
" I'm tired."  
" I know."

Seto started to sway again. Not because he was having another vision. He was so tired...

A tingling shot up in his back.  
" The Phoenix!" He yelled, but did not know why.  
" Huh?" Yami looked at Bakura. " What was that?"

Seto blinked. " Hai, what was that?"

Bakura groaned. " Isn't it enough that you're falling all over the place screaming? Now you have to scare the guts out of us? Kami-sama!"

Seto glared at Bakura. " It's not like I _enjoy_ it, baka. Do you honestly think this is comfortable? My eyes feel like they're going to pop out and don't _you_ start!"  
" I'll pop them out for you. Save both of us the trouble."  
" That's why I told you _not to start._ I _knew_ you were going to say that!" Seto sighed. " Now, what day is today? Sunday. Kuso." He started forward and tripped. Yami caught him.

" Get off me!" Seto was upset now. He went out of the room in a bad mood. Then it hit him again, flashes after flashes, visions after visions. A fire. Murder. Dark nights. War.

Screaming now, he felt himself fall down the stairs, before completely engulfing in his line of visions, visions of the past and the future.

  
  
*FLASH!*

_ The Blue Eyes White Dragon was humming. It was a sound like a humpback whale singing, and Seto could hardly believe there was this side to the beautiful yet proud creature. The dragon nudged at him, comforting him. Curling her body and tail around him, she nestled around him. Seto cuddled into the warmth and closed his eyes._

*FLASH!*

  
  
" What do you think?"

Shadi sighed. Yami had asked him that for the third time that day. He looked at the young boy sleeping on the bed, his eyes glowing beneath his eyelids. Yami had ordered Bakura to do the comforting but it seemed Bakura wasn't good at it. It didn't matter, Shadi saw what Yami wanted.

" Well?"

To be honest, Shadi didn't know how to answer. He thought that this was quite bizarre. It was more than just bizarre. It was just plain...

Well, even weird would be too shallow for it.

" I don't really know...it seems that Seto has great magic and...is favored, somehow. I'm not sure who." In fact, Shadi didn't even know what he was talking about.

But Yami seemed to understand. He nodded thoughtfully. Shadi watched Seto. The glowing had died down.

" I'll take a look at him, now." Shadi said uncomfortably. When Seto was sleeping, he looked like a young child. Indeed, Seto still is a child. A very weatherworned child to him, but a child compared to most people.

Shadi was never so uncomfortable with this, but doing this to Seto...the thought made him hesitate.

_ You're just going to help him._ He convinced himself. 

_I know._ He thought. _But what lies inside?_

He drove the key in, and turned. 


	3. Chapter 3

Child of Fate

Chapter 3

  
  
Shadi found himself in a large room. There were many doors, all of which were not that interesting, except for one, which was a golden and silver door, covered with many gems and intricately decorated.

Shadi was use to such doors. They often hold the most valuable information. However, they are also the ones that are most dangerous to enter. So taking a deep breath, he decided to check out other doors before entering that one.

What puzzled Shadi most was the rooms behind each door seem to contradict each other. One door seemed to suggest a dark side. There were many knives and swords, weapons of war. Another door had many toys. Not the childish toys behind Yugi's door, but toys for someone who was slightly older. Another door seemed to suggest emptiness, and indeed, there was nothing behind it. Yet another one had many musical instruments in it. Violins, pianos, harps, cellos, flutes, oboes, bassoons, tubas.

By the time Shadi had gone through all the doors, he felt that Seto was the strangest person he had ever met. How can so many things be piled into one person? Such contradicting natures. There was even one with spectres inside.

He came before the golden door, all of the sudden realizing that Seto had not put up any defenses at all in his mind. Why weren't there any defenses?

Pausing, Shadi suddenly remembered Seto's condition. The boy was probably too taken up with his visions for his mind to even register that he was there. Suddenly bold, he opened the golden door.

He was met with a surprise.

  
  
There weren't any defenses at all. Instead, there was a large loom. It was so large, he didn't know how the room could have held it. There were many strings. Some were cut. Some were actually being spun, but _no one was there to spin it._

For the first time in his life Shadi actually wanted to get out of this mind. He thought that he would surely lose his own if he stayed here much longer. However, that loom seemed to hold him, to forbid him to leave. So swallowing, he took a step nearer.

" Come no further."

Shadi blinked. Who was the one that was speaking to him?

" Who are you, intruder?" Asked a voice, a feminine voice. " Why have you stepped through this delicate mind?"  
" My name is Shadi." He answered. " I am the holder-"  
" I know who you are." Said the voice, and she appeared.

She was tall and fair but cold. She had a hood over her head, but her face was visible. Four others stepped into view. Three were men, and all were wearing hoods.

" Who are you?" Shadi asked.  
" We are the guardians of the Child." The first one said. " We hold the responsibility of keeping him alive. Why have you come?"  
" I come to see what causes his pain." Shadi answered. " And to answer many questions."  
" Go no further. We shall tell you all you need to know. We sense you do not bring harm." Said the man. " However, beware. The Child's defenses may be low now, but he has great power."

  
  
" The Child alone has the power to see the future and change it." Said the third guardian. " He holds the power to change what he sees."  
" But why is he seeing so much then?" Shadi asked. " He does not seem to be able to handle it."  
" Only because he has been broken." Answered the fifth guardian. " The Child suffered great inner pain in his life and therefore learned to resist. Visions are only painful if one resists them."  
" The Child...how powerful is he?" Shadi asked. " I know no one who is so accurate."  
" That is because no one is like him." The second one replied. " The Child is the result of the magic in the loom being released. Many years ago, he came to this world as a boy with great powers. The Pharaoh of Egypt instantly recognized this and gave him the position of a High Priest. After the Child was executed, the innocent spirit fled to the boundaries of the universe. Fate discovered him and through crafty tricks lured him back and he was unwillingly reborn. To protect him from danger, Fate gave him one gift; to see the future when it is crucial. He alone has the true powers of prophecy."

Shadi was silent for a long moment.

" Then why are you here?"  
" We came to protect the Child." The first one said. " Long it has been since the Child is harmed and continued being harmed."  
" By what?" Shadi asked.  
" Come." Said the second guardian. " There is one door you haven't opened yet, because it is so secret it cannot be seen..."

  
  
" What do you mean, past life?" Yami looked annoyed. " I'll tell you about his past life!"  
" Stay quiet!" Bakura looked over at Ryou and Yugi. " Could you keep it down? Good heavens, for a Pharaoh you sure have a quick temper."  
" Well, thanks a lot!" Yami and Bakura were talking in Egyptian now. " I'll tell you about that bastard's past life. He comes into court as an eleven year old with great power and totally lost. I look at him, I notice his strength, I take him in. He grows to be a thirteen year old and becomes a High Priest because he outdid the rest. Listen! Get back here! Then several years later, he suddenly comes to court in the morning all silent and pale, then he started throwing insults at me. Sure, I could take that, but the next day he tried to murder me. The bastard-what are you doing?"

" Are you sure that's Seto?" Bakura blinked.  
" Of course! So he tried to murder me, I couldn't do anything except have him executed, and that was really the lightest I could do considering the Mind Crush and the Shadow magic and every-no, you don't understand. Don't roll your eyes at me! He was totally bizarre. He was a sweet kid, and all of the sudden he became a maniac."  
" So tell me, when did he try to duel you?"  
" We were going to execute him. He escaped, made the whole place explode, _then_ challenged me into a duel."

Bakura cocked an eyebrow. " Well, that certainly tells us a lot about Seto Kaiba."  
" Exactly! So we're not going to get anywhere by looking at that guy's past life where are you going?"  
" Downstairs. I'm going to see how Shadi's doing."

Yami sighed and followed him.

  
  
Shadi was stunned.

The room was blacker than the rest except for several candles that lighted the place. Spiderwebs and cobwebs nearly covered the entire room. However, that was not what caught his eye. He ignored the dust and the drops of water. He was staring at Seto.

Poor poor Seto. Chained to the wall, his limbs wide apart, his eyes cloudy and grey. He was like a ghost, pale as snow, his bones showing everywhere. His body was confined by the chains, cutting into his flesh. Flatworms surrounded his body, feeding on his blood. He looked pitiful.

But that was not what hurt Shadi the most. Shadi was an old being, condemned to guard the Millennium Items for all eternity with eternal youth. He had never realized Seto's true being even when he met him. However, this time it was as if Shadi saw Seto for the first time. Before him, chained and dying, was not the CEO of Kaiba Corps, the person who nearly destroyed Yugi's life and everyone related to him. Before him was a child, a body of a child, eyes of a child. It took Shadi a moment to realize that Seto Kaiba _was_ a child _all along,_ it was just that his conduct, his behavior, fooled them into not realizing it.

" Why is he like this?" Shadi whispered.  
" Love." Answered the first guardian, her voice all of the sudden sad. " Even in his past life Seto searched for love and gave it freely to those around him. He was betrayed and the Pharaoh unknowingly killed him. In this life he still bears that same pain, and tried the final time to search for love. His parents left and abandoned him for all the love he felt. Now he only had Mokuba, and Yugi and the others are stealing it away from him. Seto could no longer love, but love is what he is. So now he is dying like this, with only his visions to comfort him and even the visions bring small comfort."

Shadi reached out and attempted to free him, but one of the guardians stopped him.  
" You cannot help him." He said. " The only one who can help him is one whose love also ended in tragedy. You will only make it worse."

Shadi reluctantly withdrew his hand. He thought he was going to break down right there.

  
  
Yami blinked as Shadi pulled the key out and started to rub his eyes really hard.  
" Something wrong?" He asked. Shadi did not answer. He continued to rub his eyes.

Seto sat up and rubbed his eyes as well. " Ugh, what happened? Who...nani?" He stared at Shadi. Shadi ignored him and continued rubbing his eyes.

" Shadi, are you crying?" Bakura suddenly asked.

Shadi choked but continued rubbing his eyes. " Dry. Dry. Dry. Dry."

The two spirits looked at each other. Shadi had never acted like this before.

" Shadi, this isn't like you..."  
" You've never been in there." Shadi answered, looking much better now. " If you did, you'll be worse off than I am. Come, Seto."  
" But wait, they've never been in where? What just happened? When did you come here?" Seto blinked. Then he eyed the key and the truth dawned on him.  
" Hai, he went in your head." Bakura snickered. " Happy, Sleeping Beauty?"  
" Seto, get dressed. We're going out." Shadi ordered. The yamis looked at him, bewildered.  
" It's going to snow." Seto blinked.  
" Nonsense!" Bakura hissed. " Look at the window. The sun's cheery."  
" It's going to snow. We'll be trapped!"  
" Seto, we're going by air, and you might want to bring the others, Yami." Shadi helped Seto to his feet. " Go go. I am losing my patience. _And my sanity," _he muttered under his breath, but the others did not hear him.

  
  
" Tell me, where are we going again?" Anzu asked Jou and Yugi as they watched Shadi's figure on the seat in front of them.  
" I don't want to go." Even though no one told Seto where they were going, Seto seemed to know. He was starting to get tense. " Why are you making me go?"  
" If you want to be freed of leeches," Shadi muttered, and everyone looked at him as if he was insane.  
" Leeches?" Seto asked bluntly, then blinked at Yami, confused. Yami shrugged, giving his hand a squeeze. Seto had no idea what was going on.

" Where are we going?" Jou was getting annoyed. Yugi and Yami were puzzled too. So was Mokuba.  
" We're going...to the Duelist Kingdom." Shadi answered quietly.  
" NANI??!!!"  
" Are you nuts, man?" Jou cried. " The guy's a psycho! Who knows what he'll do with Seto! Are ye trying to get him killed or somethin?"  
" I'm not trying to get him killed. " Shadi looked a little exasperated. " If Seto wants to be freed of those...leeches, he'll have to get help from Pegasus, and I'm pretty sure Pegasus can't refuse considering that Seto is the Child of-" He stopped.  
" Leeches?" Seto asked again. " What leeches?"  
" The guardian taught me a technique to help you deal with the pain every time you have a vision." Shadi changed the subject dramatically, noticing the first signs. Seto blinked, confused, as Shadi took out a long, white cloth.

*FLASH!*

_ The blonde woman stepped out of the painting, smiling and walking towards-_

" Uh?" Seto blinked, but noticed he couldn't even open his eyes. There was something tightly tied around his head. He jumped startled.  
" Settle down. That feels much better, eh? Keeps in the heat." Shadi muttered to himself for a moment.  
" Nani?"

Shadi ignored him. Yami looked at Shadi for a moment, puzzled, before noticing that Seto was trembling. Taking both of his hands, he rubbed them reassuringly, warming the cold fingers and hoping Seto would get the message.

Seto did not get the message. He only saw darkness.

  
  
Pegasus blinked. Why are they here? And from his Millennium Eye, Seto is here too, pretty much against his will.

Everyone on that strange plane seems to be annoyed at one person. Stretching his mind he saw it was Shadi. Shadi seemed disturbed.

After about half an hour, Shadi boarded the plane and left. Leaving the others here.

How odd.

They are heading towards the castle. Pegasus stood up. Calling Croquet, he ordered the guards to stay where they are and let them in. He was pretty sure that this is something important.

Something was keeping his mind from reaching the thoughts of the others. He's pretty sure that it was Seto. Why was Seto blindfolded?

And to his amazement, watching from the high window, Seto was walking over the cracks and sticks on the road, blindfolded, without any guidance. Deeply puzzled, he left the window and went downstairs to greet them.

  
  
Seto immediately panicked when his blindfold was taken off and he saw that Pegasus was standing _right there._

" This is the House of the Dead!" He suddenly cried, startling everyone on the room. " The dwelling of pain and torture! I hear screams!" He clutched his eyes, glowing bright blue, and writhed and fell to his knees. " Spirits longing for the living-she stepped out! She's coming! She's coming!"

Yami wrapped his arms around Seto tightly.

" Seto! Seto, get a hold of yourself! Yugi, I think we need to slip the blindfold on again-"

" Pegasus." Seto was suddenly calm, and his eyes were still glowing. He stretched an arm and pointed at the north tower. " Your wife awaits."

  
  
" I still don't know what the heck that was about." Pegasus blinked. " There's nothing up here. I don't know why you insist on coming. There's only a painting of Cecilia..." He opened the door and froze.

" Rather, there _was_ a painting of Cecilia." Yami blinked.

Indeed, he was absolutely right. For where there once sat a beautiful woman, poised and smiling from behind the frame, there was only an empty chair next to the window...and no Cecilia.

Pegasus began trembling. Waves of trembling broke over his body and his face was drained of color. It was like Seto had said. She stepped out. And she's coming.

  
  
" Relax, Seto. Hey pal, don't get so edgy! There's nothing to worry about. Just get some sleep. Hey hey hey!" Jou grabbed Seto and pushed him down. 

Mokuba watched forlornly at his big brother as Anzu tried to soothe him.  
" Don't worry. He'll be alright." The girl assured him. Mokuba stared at his brother.  
" He was always so sure of himself."  
" It is snowing _hard_ outside." Honda looked out the window. " And it's only in November!"  
" At least we get to miss school for this." Jou laughed. " Wonder how my pops actually agreed to this. Or your parents."  
" We said we came here for an emergency." Anzu shrugged. " Anyways. Whoa! Seto!"

The boys turned back and found that Seto was heading out again. Jou grabbed him and gently lead him over to the chair, sitting him down.

Seto released a nervous sigh. That was when they realized he was absolutely terrified.

_" This is the House of the Dead! The dwelling of pain and torture! I hear screams! Spirits longing for the living-she stepped out! She's coming! She's coming!"_

Pegasus stared at the empty portrait with a dumb look and so did the others.  
" I guess...that was what Seto meant." Ryou said carefully. " Perhaps Cecilia came back alive or something."  
" Iie." Pegasus said slowly. " Spirits longing for the living. She's coming. She's probably coming for Seto. But how did Seto know?" He turned to the others. Then he paused.

" He has powers of prophecy." He said softly.

Sunday at 8:10 p.m. 


	4. Chapter 4

Child of Fate

Chapter 4

" Thanks to Isis's Tauk, I'd expect," Pegasus looked at the blindfolded Seto. " What did Shadi mention? Leeches?"  
" He probably found those in his mind." Yami grimaced. " But he left in quite a hurry. I don't know why."

Yugi was holding Seto's hand, trying to distract him. Pegasus straightened and held his head for a moment, staring at Seto.  
" Take the blindfold off." He said. Yugi did. Seto blinked at Pegasus for a moment. They held their breath, waiting for his reaction. Ever since the fortune telling thing, Seto had been very much unpredictable.

Seto remained silent.  
" Alright, let's see what Shadi meant by leeches." Pegasus took a deep breath.

  
  
*FLASH!*

_" Otou-san!" Seto cried, his short legs pumping quickly. He jumped and his father caught him in his arms. Seto froze.  
" Otou-san," This time he looked like he was going to cry. " Oka-san's going to die!"_

*FLASH!*

_" That's a big dragon." Seto blinked. The Pharaoh gaped at the Blue Eyes White Dragon that had just been summoned.  
" Oh Ra..." The ruler felt his forehead, suddenly aware of how powerful the child beside him was. " How in the world was that possible?"_

*FLASH!*

_" Come here," Said a voice. All was darkness. The young child blinked his blue eyes at the pretty star. Reaching out, he tried to catch it, but it whirled away like a firefly. He chased after it for a moment, then gave up. But this time, there was another star, blue this time, settling in his hands. He caught it, and beaming, looked up to find a red one._

" Come here, Seto child." The voice said, laughing. All about the child was laughter, and the boy laughed as well. His laughter rang like bells. Then he stopped, and started trembling. There was a black hole, blacker than the rest. He clutched at the stars, and started to back away.

" Don't be afraid." Said the voice. " It will not hurt you. Come on."

The child blinked, still backing away. He dropped the stars. They went floating away. Something warm wrapped around him. The child forgot about the gaping hole and settled into the soft warmth. He didn't know what it was. It seemed to be some gathering of stars, but it was so cozy. The spirit child fell asleep...

*FLASH!*

  
  
Pegasus started back. Then he began rubbing his temples.  
" Owww," He groaned.  
" Oh please, not you too!" Bakura snapped.  
" Iie, I'm alright, it's passing." Pegasus sat down. " Good heavens, what was _that?_"  
" What was what?" Ryou asked.

" I think he was in some kind of void." Pegasus answered. " There were all these stars. Big stars, tiny stars, all giving off light, and the strangest voice I've ever heard. Seto fell asleep in there."

There was a silence.

" Uhhh...come again?" Jou began.

Pegasus stared at the yamis and the spirits stared at him.  
" We need Shadi." They said at the same time, while knocking their heads back down on the walls. 

Jou and the others looked at each other. They all shrugged.

  
  
" What can you find?" Shadi asked. Isis looked through the papyrus.  
" Ra, Anubis, Nut...Isis, Osiris, Horus...Rameses II, Hatshepsut, ah, here it is." Isis lifted the oldest looking scroll. " High Priest Seto. Funny how they don't mention the Pharaoh."  
" Oh." Shadi was puzzled too. " That's odd. What does it say about him?"  
" He lived under the last of the sixteen good Pharaohs, doesn't say his name. Came to the Pharaoh's attention when he was eleven and was accepted under the training of the High Priest Mamut. When he was thirteen, he surpassed Mamut, but Mamut died from a mysterious disease before they could do anything. Seto was made into the next High Priest and he was the Pharaoh's favorite."

Shadi cocked an eyebrow. " Alright? What else?"  
" This is strange, Shadi, I thought you were there."  
" I don't remember much of it." Shadi answered. " I was only there during the later years."

Isis nodded. She kept on reading, then stopped.  
" This is odd." She blinked. " It says here that...Seto tried to kill the Pharaoh one day. The Pharaoh tried to execute him...but Seto freed himself and challenged the Pharaoh into a duel."

Shadi cocked his head. " Why the sudden change?"  
" It doesn't say." Isis answered. " Did the guardians explain to you?"  
" No. The guardians were very vague. Could it be that Seto loves the Pharaoh?"  
" I doubt it, considering he tried to kill him."  
" But then...there's no other explanation."  
" I thought you were able to enter memories with that key of yours."  
" I wasn't with Seto. He had many contradicting rooms. It seems the rooms are playing decoy themselves." Shadi sighed. " Perhaps that last one lead to memories, but I did not linger long there. It felt too..." He wanted to say wretched. But he fell silent.

Isis paused. " What exactly did you see in there?" She asked finally.

Shadi held his head and was silent for a moment.

" Would you ever believe Seto Kaiba being innocent?"  
" Innocent? Kaiba?"  
" Yes, Kaiba."  
" Well, I would find that quite hard, if you ask me. Why?"  
" I saw him in one of the hidden rooms." Shadi answered. " He was in the last room where the guardians took me. I would never have found it. Inside that room it was black and lighted by candles. Seto was chained to the wall. Chains were covering his body and so were leeches, Isis. The guardians said when I went out that occasionally the candles would spew flame and it will burn at him. He never cries out though. But you know..." He lowered his voice to a whisper. " He never looked more like a child. An abused ragamuffin, only lost and full of despair. He is a child. And good Ra, he's fifteen years old and has every right to be. But a child chained like that?"

Isis paused again. " Did you free him?"  
" I tried." Shadi answered, slight distress showing in his eyes. " But the guardians told me that I cannot be the one to do it. Someone else, who knows pain, who knows love."  
" But why is he in there?"  
" He was naturally loving, Isis." Shadi answered, " Until everyone shunned him. Then he shattered. That Seto Kaiba you met, that _wasn't Seto Kaiba. _That was some other shell that Seto had subconsciously made. The real one is chained in that room."  
" But why can't you free him?"  
" Why do you think? Holy Anubis! Seto was too delicate. That's why he's chained there in the first place. The only time he could come out is when there is someone ready to protect and love him. _I _can't be the one to do that."

Isis smiled sadly. " So you took him to Pegasus?"  
" Pegasus is the only choice."

Isis looked down at the papyrus, her jaw set. Shadi knew from that look that she was as moved as he was and was going to do whatever it takes to help the poor Child.

" Let's see if there's anything else about the High Priest."

  
  
" Was missing for a few days, walked with a limp for a week, saved the Pharaoh one year before that from the rebellious priests. This scroll is disorganized. He's the Dragon Tamer, although the dragons aren't too tamed without him around. Got into brief arguments with the Pharaoh before trying to kill him, caused a drought."  
" That was after he went crazy?"  
" That was after he went crazy. Before that, there were good harvests, accidentally made white fluffy stuff fall from the sky-I expect that's snow." Isis looked bored. " Still no clues as to why Seto went mad."  
" Do you have anything with dates? The scribes should record, you know, all the happenings. Find the scrolls of everything that happened during Seto's time."  
" That will be hard. We'd probably want to go look at Yami's tomb, but that's long gone now. I guess it's worth searching. Here's one when Seto was made High Priest." She tossed it to Shadi. " Here's one when he was settling minor matters, several others," She gave them to Shadi.

  
  
  
*FLASH!*

_ The child woke to utter blackness, but he was still surrounded by stars. The Black Hole was gone._

" Aww," Said the voice. The child blinked his large blue eyes and looked around. He sneezed.  
" Come on." Said the voice, encouraging. " Don't be afraid. Follow the comet."

The child toddled a little, his mind a little woozy. Then he blinked. Comet?

A ray of light passed by him and the child blinked. Is that a comet?

" Follow it." Said the voice gently.

This time, the child retreated a little. He blinked all around him, all of the sudden wondering where the voice came from.

Something warm surrounded his head and the child made a noise like a purr. He closed his eyes, leaning into the warmth. A warm force started to push him in the direction of the comet. Tripping, he twirled vertically, tumbling, then ended up straight, blinking in confusion. There was laughter.

" Come on, precious." The voice said kindly. " You do not have to be afraid."

*FLASH!*

Seto was startled. He knew that was in the past, first of all, but there was no time and no place either.

" Welcome back to our world, Setoboy." Pegasus said tiredly. He knew what was coming next.  
" _You!_" Seto blinked. " How did I get here? What just happened? Why are you all here?"

This made the others extremely confused.  
" Seto, we told you we were coming here. Shadi brought you here, remember?"  
" Forget it." Pegasus snapped at Jou. " He's suffering from memory loss because he saw too many visions. It's about time it stopped otherwise I think we'll have to bade him farewell."

Seto blinked at Pegasus. No, no visions are coming.  
" Seto, do you want to go upstairs and rest?" Pegasus asked, he himself looking pretty much exhausted. " I think we can all use a break."

Seto was about to protest " Since when did you call me by my first name?" But he thought the better of it. Something in his mind, someplace, was too tired to bicker with this man. He nodded solemnly. Pegasus, who without another word, gestured to him and led him upstairs, along with the others.

  
  
" Here's something interesting." Isis blinked. " Probably not related though. It's a nameless scroll. No name of the writer, no title, not even a label for its purpose. And the handwriting is beautiful."  
" What does it say?" Shadi asked.  
" I am the Child of the Night." Isis read. " Darkness lies my name. For in the night, beauty dwells in silent wonder, such that no man can read. Death and birth happen in the quiet. There is little movement, but when there is, as I, it moves quietly and stealthily, a deadliness that conquers all. Though light may penetrate darkness, it will only create more darkness in shadows. I am the Shadow. I hold great power over those unwary. I am Beauty. I beautify death. I am Death. I horrify the living. I am the Child of the Moon. The Moon, in silver splendor, a quiet magnificence, solemn and still and wise. I am-...and it stops there. There's something torn off." Isis blinked.

" Then it's probably here." Shadi picked up another part of a scroll, which was torn at the top. " ...the Child. I am Mystery. Beware my wrath, for my death shall not be unavenged. No curse can harm me. No evil sustain. I am the Pure. Pay heed."

" Did it say he is the Child?" Isis asked, taking the scroll.  
" It did." Shadi frowned. " But it sounded so...powerful and...proud."  
" That's the Seto I know." Isis reminded him. She looked at the scroll.

" ...dedede, bulls of silver, dedede, Prophet? Dedede, in the name of Ra, I place a curse among those who defy me. Who but tries and succeeds in destroying me, I, the Child of all that is Hidden, will be hidden themselves."  
" Undoubtedly that's what happened to Yami." Shadi pointed out. " We got it. This is the Child's call to the world. Unfortunately I don't think Seto remembers any of this."

Isis looked at the scrolls and sighed. " This is going to take a long while."

  
  
Seto woke to a dim lamplight.  
" Seto! Are you alright?"

Pegasus was in his nightclothes and outside it was dark.  
" What happened?" Seto asked. It was more of a ' Why are you here?'  
" You were screaming." Pegasus replied quietly. " Are you alright now?"

It was then that Seto realized he was trembling. He gave a quick nod, wishing that Pegasus would leave him alone. Pegasus remained for a moment though.  
" If you need me, just call, alright?" He patted Seto's arm before turning off the light. Seto relaxed as the door closed softly. He wondered if Pegasus really meant it.

  
  
By now it was nighttime in Egypt and the air had gotten cold. Shadi kept the torches and the candles going and the flames somehow preserved the warmth in the cavern. Isis looked through half of the scrolls and Shadi the other half, discarding the ones they already read.

" This one recorded the number of grains," Isis muttered to herself, " The pork, water, rain. This one recorded the money spent from the budget..."  
" This one recorded one of the sacrifices to the god Horus," Shadi tossed it aside, " This one...an execution of a murderer."  
" Seto?"  
" It's another one. Someone named...Kai."  
" Oh."

Isis put the scroll down and rubbed her eyes.  
" This is getting tiresome." She sighed.  
" We don't have much time." Shadi warned.  
" You know," Isis began, " Now I know where that whole nonsense about the God Seth killing his twin brother Osiris came about. Quite frankly, Seto was the reason Yami's in the puzzle and the puzzle was torn to pieces."  
" Just like Osiris in that myth." Shadi nodded. " The airplane is going to leave in the morning. We'll have to gather these scrolls up and take them with us on the plane. And perhaps we'll do more research at Pegasus's castle."

Isis nodded. They started gathering.

  
  
" Otou-san."

Pegasus blinked. He had definetely heard correctly. Inside that room, Seto called again.

" Otou-san."

Pegasus did a strange thing then. Strange, even for a mind like his. 

He pretended that Seto was calling _him._

Well, not pretended. In fact, he almost thought Seto was actually calling him for real. But it was strange. Why would Seto call him?

Slowly and carefully he opened the door. Seto was asleep.

_Well, of course he's asleep. His father is dead. Both fathers. _Pegasus shuddered._ Should I wake him?_

He advanced towards the bed and stood there for a moment. Seto moaned, opening his eyes, squinting in the light. He stopped when he saw Pegasus.  
" What are you doing here?" He asked.

Pegasus smiled. " Thought you might want to know what time it is."

Seto looked at the clock.

" Time for lunch." Pegasus smirked.

Seto jumped and landed on the bed again. He stared at Pegasus.  
" Don't worry. I didn't do anything to make you oversleep. It's your visions. They make everyone tired." To make his point, Pegasus yawned. " Come along, get dressed. Your old clothes are in the laundry, and Shadi left some interesting robes for you in the helicopter. Might as well put on those-you probably wouldn't want mine."

Seto widened his eyes in astonishment and Pegasus left the room, laughing to himself. He had totally forgotten about how Seto had called his father.

  
  
Seto came downstairs feeling pathetic.

" Hey hey! Seto the Priest, eh?!" Jou teased. Seto just growled at him, feeling rather defensive. Indeed, the light gray-blue robes did make him look like a priest, which would explain why Pegasus was laughing when he first woke up. The others were already starting their lunch.

" Do you always sleep this late, Seto?" Honda teased. Seto rolled his eyes and glared at him. He felt so...  
" Ah, teenagers, always narcissistic." Pegasus shook his head. Seto gaped and proceeded to stick his tongue at Pegasus before busying himself with the food. It was the first time Pegasus saw Seto do anything so childish and he started to laugh at him. This didn't help Seto that much though.

" Shadi has bad taste in fashion." Seto muttered.  
" The earrings prove it." Pegasus agreed. " But these clothes actually fit you. If you ever want people to think you're a god, wear these clothes to the mall."

Seto blinked in surprise. Pegasus laughed. " And besides," The older man pointed out, " Your clothes aren't too satisfactory either."  
" Why, do you want me to dress like you?" Seto looked at Pegasus, who stared at him, surprised at the comeback. " Have that suit and have my hair grow long, and perhaps add that kerchief around my neck. No sir."

Pegasus laughed. " Very good. Very good! I've never seen this side of you before, Seto-boy. You might want to encourage more visions."

Seto blinked, then glared at Pegasus. " I don't even know why Shadi brought me here."  
" Apparently it has something to do with you." Pegasus chewed thoughtfully and swallowed. " I think he was mostly thinking about leeches when he first came here."  
" Jolly." Seto answered dully, then proceeded to tackle his food the best his low appetite might. 


	5. Chapter 5

Child of Fate

Chapter 5

After lunch Seto found himself arguing with Pegasus. The older man was taking this in an amused manner and Seto wasn't that into actually hating the other man either. In fact, Seto just felt like acting disagreeable. Pegasus seemed to understand.

The bickering, however, resulted in a challenge to a duel; who actually made the challenge was not really clear. The other boys and Anzu, who watched the duel, found that it was pretty much a stalemate.

Pegasus used his Millennium Eye, of course, on Seto. He was allowed to do this because Seto could see the future, and knew what Pegasus would put down next. It seemed the night's rest in a different environment, ( aka the castle) somehow strengthened his mind and he was able to cope with so many visions. They were quite brief though, and his eyes hardly flickered. Even so, such powers were hard to deal with when it comes to losing, and neither one lost.

After confirming that it was a stalemate, neither one had the energy to go on any longer, and the game was put to rest. Seto claimed victory simply because he felt like acting like a sore loser and Pegasus gave it to him because he had taken advantage of Seto during the duel in the Duelist Kingdom Competition.

Pegasus was certain Seto was not himself, or was never himself and was himself for the first time, because Seto was actually acting his age, or as close as he will ever get. Seto knew that he liked to act his age but wouldn't be able to for too long, being the person he was.

Afterwards came the duel between Seto and Mokuba. Seto let Mokuba win on purpose just to make his brother happy. Of course, they had to play an hour before Seto put down his weakest card and Mokuba claimed all his life points. Everyone except Mokuba knew that Seto did it on purpose, because he had all three Blue Eyes in his hand and he never put them down. Seto later admitted that he was downright upset about getting all three on the first draw, especially since he was hoping the deck _wouldn't give him those._

After settling that, Jou challenged Seto and Seto decided to let him win as well. Everyone except Jou knew that Seto had played easy on him. Seto was skillful. He was able to pretend to try his best and yet get the desired result, and losing, in fact, for Seto was harder than winning, especially since this time he got all the good cards. So Seto had to rack his brains for ways to lose while Jou helped by working his for ways to win.

Finally, came the battle between Yami and Seto. This time Seto was not an easy player. Yami attempted to play easy on him, but Seto muttered that since Yami had his Black Luster Ritual, he ought to put it down.

" You said you wouldn't use your powers." Yami warned.  
" I didn't _use_ it." Seto answered. " Your hand is flickering this way and that. I saw the edge of that card and the vision just came to me. Put it down!"

In the end it was a stalemate. Yami being the King of Games, Seto being the tired prophet who doesn't want visions but visions kept coming to him because they like to.

  
  
Shadi got off the plane with Isis, feeling, quite understandably, very jetlagged. In truth, they did nothing but sleep on the plane because the winds were terrible and the plane kept on rocking. However, the motion is still enough to make them feel woozy, and they decided that a boat might be slightly better because they could lie down.

Obviously, it wasn't so. Since the winds were bad, the waves were too, and since the waves were large, the ship rocked to and fro. When they came to Duelist Kingdom, neither of them wanted to look at scrolls. Pegasus allowed them into the castle and led them to their rooms to rest before telling the others.

  
  
When they _did _look at the scrolls, they came upon an interesting discovery.

A man by the name of Senenmut, a common name for Egyptians, was a holder of the Millennium Key before Shadi but had died under a terrible accident. He wrote a scroll before his death that told of different peoples. Most of them Shadi was familiar, but there was one that was downright strange.

" Listen to this," Shadi said to Isis, feeling quite smug at finding the scroll, " This mind is the hardest of all, for his mind alone is but a trap and illusion. There is one golden door that leads to a trap, and the others are all false. Such a mind can be known by the false doors-for each room contradict each other. These rooms do not show the true mind at all, and if the person is strong enough, he can will the mind into a maze. Only if the being within the mind allows the holder a glimpse of one hidden, true door, can the holder see the true room."

" Well," Isis said after a pause, " You certainly got yourself into that one, Shadi. Seto fits the description perfectly."

Ignoring her, Shadi continued on. This time, he read it silently.

  
  
Pegasus shivered. This soul room feels creepy. 

_ If I have a choice,_ He thought bitterly, _I'm never going to use Shadi's Millennium Key _again.

He looked around the various doors and pondered which one was the golden one, because all of the sudden they all seem golden.

Briefly he wondered why he was doing this. Seto was not his favorite child. He respected the boy's intelligence but that doesn't mean he had to like him. Shadi didn't explain much either, and all Pegasus knew was it had something to do with leeches, according to the brief glimpse he had of Shadi's mind.

But Shadi had remarked that Pegasus can never refuse this offer. So Pegasus didn't.

He remembered the tips that Shadi gave him.

****  
  


" When you go in there," Shadi had instructed him, " Go to the golden door. If it's all golden, then be careful. They may be traps. Open each door cautiously, and be careful if anything tries to destroy you. Enter when you see a loom with threads spinning and weaving themselves."

****  
  


Luckily for Pegasus, Seto's mind was not strong enough to attack him and he passed through each door safely. It wasn't until the fifth one where he got to the door with the loom. All the while he was replaying in his mind what had happened when he entered.

Seto had looked so terrified. He seriously looked terrified and Pegasus had almost hesitated before driving his key in. He remembered Seto's eyes, bright blue and pleading, badly frightened and welling with tears of fear. He remembered Seto shaking, asking him what he was planning to do, and how Shadi had held him down while he tried to escape and pleaded Pegasus not to hurt him. And finally, when Pegasus drove the key in, he remembered the piercing scream. Was it of pain? Or of fear alone?

" It is time that you have come." Said a voice, and Pegasus remembered that there were five guardians in Seto's mind. " We know what you want. We shall help you."

Swallowing, Pegasus for the first time felt awkward. The five guardians looked so powerful. He felt so puny. He remembered what he had to do once he reached the door.

****  
  


" You will find Seto, easily enough." Shadi looked uncomfortable. " When you do, you first have to pry the leeches off-_then_ you free him. Seto will collapse and you'll have to catch him because he won't be able to get up himself. If the guardians cooperate, they'll lead you out, and you'll find that the illusionary rooms had disappeared and Seto will wake up with conscious mind. He'll be frightened, mind you. He was too used to the security of his shell. He'll be frightened and cold, and when he sees you there he'll try to run from you. You have to hold on to him and convince him that you mean him no harm, but you have to pin his arm back enough to cause him pain so he'll keep his word. And the word is that he will not attempt to rebuild that shield while you leave his mind. He'll be stubborn, but in the end, he _must_ agree, or else you threaten you will not leave him be."

****  
  


_This is a sore trial._ Pegasus thought to himself as the guardians opened the door. They did not follow him in, and Pegasus hesitated before entering. The door remained open-he was afraid they'll lock him in. His thoughts broke off as soon as he saw Seto.

Shadi was absolutely right. Seto was a child, and it was a child that Pegasus saw chained to the wall, flatworms covering his broken and frail body. It was Seto's spirit. Pegasus realized that the Seto that he had trapped within the card back at the competition was not really Seto. The real Seto was a child. That one was a shield.

_Clever,_ He thought, breathing despite his horror. _Clever, clever clever, a beautiful way to disguise and protect yourself! But at this cost? It is not worth it._

Pegasus realized Seto was unconscious, as Shadi had referred, and slowly, with trembling hands, he began to remove the leeches from Seto's pale body. Seto did not even twitch.

Pegasus found himself beginning to talk to Seto.

" How long have you been here, Seto child?" He asked. " You look half dead. Come on, come on down, you're safe now. Don't need the shield anymore. Why lock yourself up in here?" He peeled off the last flatworm and began undoing the chains. " Look, you're bleeding." 

Perhaps he should have used salt. But he had no salt. And Pegasus figured that since this was a soul room, the leeches aren't real anyway.

" Are you that heartbroken, Seto?" Pegasus asked empathetically. " I know what it feels like. It makes you feel so worthless, doesn't it? Like no one loves you anymore? Like it doesn't matter whether you exist or not? Such a thing can be painful." He caught the frail body and adjusted it so that Seto was secure in his arms. " Come along, let's get you out of this creepy place."

  
  
" What's taking so long?" Yami asked, concerned.  
" Did something happen to him?" Yami Bakura asked. " Did he fall into one of those traps?"  
" Iie." Shadi answered. " If he did, his body would have showed it."

The group waited in uncomfortable silence. Even Jou was quiet.

  
  
The guardians have disappeared. Many of the original doors have too. Now there was a large, pale blue bed with walls covered with sculptures and paintings. It was a beautiful room. Pegasus set Seto down on the bed gently and realized his clothes had changed from torn rags to the pale blue robe of Shadi's choice.

Seto blinked his large blue eyes and looked around him like a newborn kitten. He was shivering, and as Shadi had predicted, was cold and scared. When his eyes fell upon Pegasus he jumped out of bed and tried to run away, but Pegasus forced him back on the bed and pinned his arm behind his back just as Shadi had instructed.

" Seto!" Pegasus cried, Seto hissing with fear. " Seto!"

Seto jerked underneath him. Pegasus held on tight.  
" Listen to me, Seto," Seto continued to struggle against the arms that held him. " Listen to me! You have to understand. Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you. I found out what was wrong with you. Onegai, let me help you. That was what Fate has been doing!"  
" Leave me alone!" Seto shouted, growling, even though Pegasus felt him shivering. He bucked and kicked, finally freeing himself. Then he bolted. He did not turn back-

Pegasus knocked him over, falling on him and thus pinned Seto to the ground.  
" Seto," He cried, " I know what is wrong with you. You have to listen to me. I want to help you."  
" If you want to help me, then let me go!" Seto jerked, but the body was too heavy. He couldn't move. He was suffocating. He was being squished to death. Darkness was before his eyes.  
" The only way to help you is if you trust me." Pegasus said desperately. " Onegai, Seto, give me this chance, give yourself a chance. I promise I will not hurt you. Just relax."

Seto thrashed one last time until he felt his strength ebb. Pegasus began talking quieter now.

" I know you went through a lot." Pegasus pleaded, " But that doesn't mean you have to hide for the rest of your life. Give us a chance to see who you are, and give yourself a chance to see how the world is like. It's not all cruel."

Seto was silent.

" Seto, promise me that you will not try to protect yourself again this way. You have other ways to protect yourself, but this is too perfect. This cannot be. I promise, I'll protect you, and so will all your friends. Promise me you won't go back."

Seto started trembling again.  
" Seto, don't make me force you."  
" I p-p-promise," Seto whispered.

  
  
Pegasus drew the key out with a violent tug and Seto writhed on the bed. At first Pegasus rubbed his temples, then he threw the key aside as Seto woke. He wrapped his arms around Seto just as the boy opened his eyes and whimpered in fear, sitting up, about to run out. Pegasus covered the boy's eyes and whispered to his ear, and at last the group saw Seto visibly relax and ease into the bed.

" Mission accomplished, from what I can tell." Yugi blinked. " How are you feeling, Seto?" Pegasus sighed and went out.

Seto looked surprised. For a moment he didn't know how to answer.  
" Cold." He finally said. " Cold."  
" Does it feel better without that shell of yours?" Anzu asked sympathetically.

Seto shook his head. He didn't like it.

" Don't ask too many questions." Shadi answered. " He's tired. It has been a long while. And besides, Pegasus was the one that earned his trust, not the rest of us. We'll leave you alone, Seto. Pegasus will come right back."

Seto nodded stiffly. Pegasus returned from the hall. Shadi and Pegasus shared a glance before the group left, leaving Pegasus and Seto alone. 


	6. Chapter 6

Child of Fate

Chapter 6

  
Seto felt mostly cold. He wondered where Mokuba was. Pegasus had fallen asleep beside him. Seto had thick blankets, but even that wasn't enough to block the cold out.

He started shivering. And when he started he couldn't stop.

" Seto?"

Seto froze. He woke up. Seto just woke him up.

Pegasus sighed. He had felt the bed shaking and noticed that Seto was shivering. He noted how Seto froze at his voice. Pegasus reached a hand over and stroked Seto's cheek.

" It's alright." He said. Seto didn't believe him. He stared at the man with his terror filled eyes. Who was he? Is he bad?

Pegasus pulled the frightened boy into his embraced and slowly rocked him.   
" It's alrilght, everything is okay. You're safe now."

Seto jerked.

*FLASH!*

_" There will be a time, when you will perish."  
" Why?"  
" Traitors..."_

Seto sobbed as the axe came down and for a moment there was blackness. Then he darted out of that court with everyone watching, the humiliation, the shame and despair. He rose over them all and darted as fast as he could up past the clouds, faster and faster, not daring to look back-

*FLASH!*

_Yami Bakura growled.  
" Just how long is this going t'take?" He asked grumpily.  
" Patience." Yami was equally annoyed. " If we want to find this out we'll have to "_

*FLASH!*

Seto blinked.

Pegasus briefly scanned his mind before tightening his embrace.  
" Don't worry." He promised. " You'll be fine."

Seto felt mostly cold, but other then that he was fine now. He felt almost unuse to his body. Briefly wondering why, he stumbled a little in the hallway.

" Oni-chan!" 

Seto turned. It was Mokuba, that he knew. Everytime he was with his brother he managed to peek out of the room. So Mokuba he was familiar with.  
" Hey, Seto." Yugi waved. " Are you feeling better?"

Seto decided to first give his brother a hug before dealing with Yugi. Apparently whatever took his place made a big deal out of this boy.

" Ano...hi." He was unsure of how to cope with the boy. He searched back to his memories. Alright, he nearly ruined his grandfather, made a big deal out of a stupid card, dueled him twice, this boy saved his life, then what?

His mind went blank.

" You don't remember anything, do you?" Yugi smiled, a little sadly.  
" Iie, I remember." Seto still had a puzzled expression. " But...not very clearly. Everything is fuzzy."

Yugi nodded in understanding.

" So, how does it feel getting your thing back?" Honda asked. The question didn't make sense, but Seto knew what he meant.  
" Cold." Was his answer. He gave Mokuba's hand a squeeze. " Small and cold."

  
Bandit Keith was in truth, not very pleased with the entire ordeal. One of the reasons was because the duelists were all too easy, and he was in a hurry to kick that Kaiba's butt.

Except for this one.

She was a tall woman. She had a very...special look, he would say. She was not the most beautiful woman in the world, but she was very pleasant to look at in any case. She had long eyes, but rather narrow, which were so brown they were almost black and seemed like hollow voids. She had a slightly flat nose and thin lips. Her hair was wavy and brown. Her skin had a gray tint to it, as if she was made out of marble. She had a rather short neck and slim shoulders, wearing a fine robe that was out of the ordinary. She spoke with a strange accent too, but she dueled as well as...

Well, Yugi Motou.

It seemed she knew every move he would make, right before he made it, and what was chilling was the fact that she knew it before he thought about it too, which was different from Pegasus. She had an inhuman glow to her and an aura of power that demanded obedience.

Naturally, Bandit wasn't someone who will bend down to someone else so easily. He was always proud of his skills and had plenty of arrogance to show it. Even after the duel with Jou, he was proud of his skills, unlike that weak Kaiba, who went away crying like a baby after being defeated by that Motou.

So he was very shakened as his points, once again, dropped down to zero, this time defeated by a woman he never heard of or saw instead of Jou or Pegasus.

The strange woman did not shout for joy as the kids did, nor did she sigh in relief like Yugi. She was composed and it seemed that she didn't care about the duel at all. Like _she knew,_ that this was how it will turn out.

As a result, Bandit Keith lost two beads to this woman, and ten was required to enter that castle, like the last competition.

  
  
The reason there was a competition in the first place was because Pegasus had planned it before there was any Seto Kaiba lurking in that room with his leeches. 

The reason Bandit joined was because first of all, Seto disappeared, and rumor had it that he was on Duelist Kingdom behaving in a very odd way and his dueling skills had been enhanced. Bandit wanted to test that. After all, how odd can a billionaire and a CEO of Kaiba Corps with an attitude and glaring eyes to go with it behave?

Yami muttered to himself as he looked through the scrolls with Yugi and the other mortals sitting on the other side of the room, totally bored.

" How did I get into this?" He asked himself. It was bad enough he was dragged into reading Egyptian scrolls all over again like he did five thousand years ago, but no only that, he was reading Greek, Latin, Chinese and even some tablets with cuneiform on them.

" It seems those trapped within Millennium Items have the ability to read all sorts of different languages." Mai answered, reading the Japanese ones. " Where did you get these scrolls, Shadi?"  
" From Pegasus's library." Isis answered. " There were some from Egypt. We also stole some from other museums."  
" You _stole?_" Yami blinked. " I take it that Bakura helped you."  
" Oh, tomb robbers can be very resourceful, when you need to steal something as important as this." Isis answered. Bakura rolled his eyes and picked up some turtle shell with ancient Chinese writing on it.  
" Where is Seto?" Ryou asked, taking another English scroll from the other side of the room. " He knows Russian, and we have a few Russian scrolls here."  
" He's with Mokuba, and don't expect him to come any time soon." Shadi snapped. " It's bad enough his visions are going haywire. How do you expect him to read in this dark room while wearing sunglasses?"  
" He's wearing sunglasses?" Jou blinked. " Why?"  
" Because it works like a blindfold." Isis answered. " Get to work!"  
" Why are we doing this anyway?" Honda asked.  
" Because from what Pegasus and Mokuba told us," Malik muttered, still a little jetlagged from his flight and tired from carrying the extra scrolls, " There is a reason why Seto is having all those visions, and it isn't just because of the leeches."  
" Would you quit with the leeches?" Jou snapped.

There was a brief silence, with the sound of pages turning. Yugi choked and began coughing.

" Paper dust," He explained.

" Why are we reading so many languages if Seto was in Egypt before?" Jou asked suddenly.  
" Mokuba says that Seto is more important and his secrets are not just in Egypt alone." Shadi answered. " Theoretically, if Fate found him, he should affect the world as a whole, otherwise it wouldn't bother getting him back here."  
" Yo, creepy!" Honda shuddered. " This is a Japanese scroll. It tells of...the Child, but I'm not sure if it's the same one."  
" Read it." Yami ordered.

" Well..." Honda squinted. " The Child sprung from the looms of Fate, and somehow ended up here, the part that says how was sort of erased. He came here as a human child, but in reality he's...well, it got smudged. After being executed by the Pharaoh, he escaped to the outer ends of the universe, where he...dislocated many stars." Honda cocked an eyebrow. " It was told that the Child was lured back into _our _part of the universe by Fate itself and was given the power to see visions of the future. Of course, Fate gave him much more than that. He was able to change the future, unlike most prophets, and his visions were extremely accurate. Since he sprang from the loom, he was known as Fate's child, so Fate does everything to protect him. Which kind of means we can't hurt him. He hovered around as a spirit for the time being, and was said to have a heart as pure as light and the intelligence of all the geniuses put together. He was also to say to have some powers, but..."

There was a pause.

" But he never really used them, except for the Pharaoh." Honda finished. " A lot of sorcerors had tried to call or lure him onto Earth itself but he never really came. It doesn't say why, and the last part is torn!"

" Well, we don't know much except that Seto was lured many times unsuccessfully." Yami muttered.

Just then, the door opened, and Pegasus came in. He sat down in a chair and picked up a random scroll, but didn't read it, just tapped it on his palm as if he was preparing to hit someone.

" I hope you're not going to start being violent today." Shadi began.  
" Iie." Pegasus answered, with a rather straight face. " I'm just tired. Bandit Keith wants Seto, that Seto can handle, but there's another psychic on this island and perhaps even more that I haven't found yet. And apparently she wants Seto gone."  
" Well, we know that Seto is invincible, right?" Jou asked.  
" I wish." Pegasus muttered. " He's only invincible up to the point where Fate could protect him. This new psychic has strong powers."  
" Is that bad?" Jou asked.

There was a long silence as everyone glared at him.

The door opened again, and this time Seto came in. Suddenly, he started coughing, and everyone watched as he waved his hand in front of his face to get rid of the dust.

" Elgh! Pegasus, you have this kind of room?" he grimaced. Pegasus didn't look at him. Seto stared at the others. " What are you all doing here?"

They half expected Seto to get one of his visions again, but he didn't. ( He was, after all, wearing sunglasses) and it took some stumbling on his part for them to remember that the sunglasses blocked a lot of things from his mind.

Pegasus rose and led Seto out of the room. Everyone paused for a moment.

" Should we ask what the heck is going on?" Jou asked.  
" Nah, let's go on with this. Then we'll have an excuse during lunch." Honda answered.  
" Good point."

  
  
_ Through my discoveries through the human mind, I have found a rare type of being; in fact, so rare that I have only encountered one out of the many I have seen. This person was shown to have very strong barriers and an internal child with great power. This child is capable of creating strong barriers and even a false mind to mislead any intruder. It is known that minds and souls like these tend to act with perfect logic when in the human body, but once made vulnerable they act according to their emotions and-_

" Yah!"

Shadi broke out of his reading and glared at Jou.   
" What now?"  
" Yo, freaky, man! Seto looks like a girl!" Honda looked over.

The two boys began laughing out loud at the scroll. Curious, the others went over to see.

It was Seto, no mistake, and whether or not he actually did look like a girl would be up to those who see it. He was younger this time, around twelve or thirteen years old, rather tall and lean and almost delicate, which may be why Honda called him a girl. Or maybe it was the circlet around his head, above his forelock and around the back, with glittering stones. His hair was also longer, in a strange fashion, but his clothes were unmistakably a boy's and he was definetely a boy as well, no matter how delicate he looked. He wore a long sleeveless tunic with white sleeves from a shirt inside, and loose pants and small shoes. 

There was more to the picture. There was the Seto that was already stated, and there was _another_ Seto, presumably older as he was much taller. He was not wearing the same tunic; instead he was wearing a long robe. The scroll shows the older Seto falling, and the little Seto coming _out_ of the older Seto, obviously translucent, as the faint lines of the older Seto went through the young one. In this particular drawing the young Seto looked terrified and the older Seto looked-well, dead.

" How did an Egyptian scroll get into my pile?" Jou asked. Shadi took a look at the drawing. The letters were Egyptian, but it was not drawn in an Egyptian style.  
" This is Roman, you baka." Anzu chuckled. " But this is very puzzling. Seto's not beheaded or anything."  
" Says here that this is one way that Seto had escaped the clutches of the first magician." Bakura noticed.  
" By escaping out of his body?" Yami blinked, incredulous.

  
  
The sorceress looked at the hallway of the castle as the doors closed behind her.  
" This way." She heard.

Following the ignorant guard she took her time to look at her surroundings. There was a sense of age to the place; something she liked. She hated new things because they were so undeveloped. The guard led her to her room and she sat down on the bed, waiting patiently for a vision to come to her.

  
  
Seto knew she was here, and more, who she was and why she was here. He wasn't as afraid as he might have been without Mokuba and Pegasus and the Millenium Holders. He wasn't as relaxed as he might have been if he was as confident as he wished he was. 

Kami-sama.

Pegasus didn't listen to him nor did he penetrate his thoughts. He went back to his quarters and Seto was left alone. But even through the sunglasses the vision was too important and Fate had obviously stuffed it into his head.

So Pegasus had no idea that this very psychic is in his castle and is waiting in her room patiently for some vision to come to her.

Oh, Fate would never grant that...hopefully.

Seto had always doubted his mother. And not without reason; she had failed him so many times. Doubtless Fate was sorry for it but that did not help Seto's feeling of insecurity. Which was partly why he was afraid of failure. He lacked confidence, even with all the success he had gained. And Fate made sure he kept with his success to build his confidence-

And failed him again.

Now Seto was in shambles. It will take a long time for that confidence to grow again. This Shadi knew. But the others do not, especially Pegasus, who never actually consented in being his ' guardian' in the first place. Pegasus's heart had melted a little, but Seto knew he could not depend on the older man. Once met with a choice of Cecilia and Seto, he'll toss Seto away like a pile of worn rags.

Not that Seto wasn't use to that.

So now Mokuba alone knew that the deadly sorceress is in the castle and ready to pounce any time.

Mokuba saw to take care of that.

" Don't worry Oni-chan." The boy beamed. " I have offensive powers. I'll beat her to a pulp!"

  
  
Mokuba was pleased, even though his big brother looked worried. This is his turn to play protector, after all the times Seto had protected him.

If Fate really cared about Seto, then Mokuba will come to no harm entering that room. 


	7. Chapter 7

Child of Fate

Chapter 7

Bandit Keith walked down the hall and came face to face with-

Kaiba.

Seto blinked, startled.  
" Well, that was unexpected!"  
" So you're really here." Bandit hissed.

Seto cocked an eyebrow. " You're a bit early-" He looked at his watch, " Oops, actually, you're right on time. I really need to look at the clock more often." He shrugged. " You can go upstairs and play the game of vengeance with that psychic woman, but don't hurt Mokuba, please." He turned around. Bandit wanted to call him back but something stopped him. 

Okay, if anything else did not change, Seto certainly did become more queer...

  
  
Mokuba looked up in surprise just as he was about to turn the handle. The big chunky blonde guy with a bandana stormed up next to him and opened the door without saying " With your leave" or " By your leave" or even an " Excuse me".

Mokuba paused as the door shut in his face. Doubtless Seto knew about it by now. Being the considering child that he was, he figured he'll leave it up to Bandit and the psychic woman. Doubtless Bandit and the sorceress will give each other quite a hard time before Mokuba dirties his hands, so might as well watch and wait. He turned around and looked for his big brother.

  
  
Shadi put down the scroll and rubbed his eyes. So far he learned that Seto had the ability to move out of his body and acts purely on instinct _when _he's out of the body. Therefore he's very easy to capture. However, Seto has a lot of power which he never uses, ( add some kind of dull look to that and you'll get Shadi's expression) and therefore had escaped all different kinds of magicians. He was a heartbroken lad that had been failed too many times to count and the battle with Yugi had been the last straw.

In addition to that, he had also read Seto's diary, which was mixed in different sections of the piles. It was that diary that troubled him.

" Well?" Isis demanded. Shadi sighed.  
" Seto-" He broke off for a moment. " The reason Seto went-" He broke off again. Finally, he tossed Isis the scroll, or actually the piece of papyrus that broke off a small book. Isis took a look. For a moment everyone waited. Then Isis visibly paled.

" Well?" Yami demanded.

Isis hesitated briefly before letting Yami read the scroll. For a moment the Pharaoh's eyes skimmed the pages. Then, he too, visibly paled.

  
  
_ I remember how it was before. Ra, it was but a day ago, when I was the Pharaoh's faithful priest and the Pharaoh my dearest companion. The meeting was tense because there were many problems to be dealt with, but we were content because they were all solved._

" A toast to you, High Priest!" The Pharaoh laughed, and I laughed too. How could I laugh? Why did I laugh? I shouldn't have. Now such moments seem so bitter. 

I feel so cold.

He came. His hair was long, and in the night it gleamed pale light. His eyes were dark with malice. I saw him clearly. At first I wondered what he was doing. And then it became clear.

I struggled. The Pharaoh thought I was strong. I struggled with all my might against this scoundrel. He wouldn't let me go. I resorted to magic. But even that didn't work. This man was a powerful sorceror. Even more powerful than I am.

The pain, the pain! And I called for him, my dearest companion, my master, my lord. I screamed, dropping all dignity to this rascal. He relished in it.

And still he did not come. My lord. My Pharaoh.

And now I know. He had planned this all along. How could he have not heard me in that palace? I know that the palace echoes loudly. He should have heard. He should have saved me.

Dearest companion.

My lord.

I did everything for him. For his good, for the country's good. And yet, in my time of need, violated by this disgusting man, he never came.

What am I supposed to do? Why did it happen to me? I never hurted anyone, I never killed anyone, not even the murderers. It was the Pharaoh. I never whipped or punished any servant or slave. I never spoke up to the Pharaoh, and all the duels we played, I thought they were only games. I thought we were only having fun. I never knew he was trying to destroy me. I trusted him.

I am so lost-

  
  
" Yami, are you alright?" Yugi asked.

Yami was not. He felt a cold chill settle at the bottom of his heart and suddenly felt nauseous as everything came together.

Seto's arguments. His sudden disagreeableness. His wild murder attempt. Those eyes blazing with hatred.

_Please don't let this mean what I think it means-_

" Bandit Keith. Good heavens, I thought the sorceress was enough, now Bandit what happened here?" Pegasus shut his eyes and sighed. " Oh dear! If that is so, then, Seto!" He turned around and left.

Yami took no notice of Pegasus. He was trapped in his own thoughts. He thought about Seto's gentle nature and innocent loyalty. He thought about how Seto had helped him through hard times when he was young. How when he first became Pharaoh, Seto was eleven years old and had helped him establish a secure position.

Of course. How come he never thought of that? Seto wouldn't have betrayed him for no reason. Of course. He wouldn't have betrayed him.

In the end it was Yami who betrayed Seto.

Yami sat down. He felt if he stood up any longer he would faint. Yugi and the others murmured in concern. Yami paid no heed. Words repeated over and over again in his mind.

_ Seto was raped. Seto was raped. Seto was raped. Seto was ra-_

  
  
" How come you never told me?" Pegasus sighed. " Worthless brute."

Seto smiled. " I like to keep secrets." He grew solemn. " This woman is powerful, Pegasus. I don't know if I can handle this."  
" You have good dueling skills, and a cheating series of visions to go along with that. And now that you're done with the vision overload you can focus better."  
" She has good dueling skills too. And she has a series of visions as well."  
" But there's one thing that's different. Fate's on your side."  
" Oh, nonsense! You have no idea how Fate-"  
" Made you lose those two battles? Seto!"  
" But-"  
" Listen, those two battles were nothing compared to the number of times you won. And besides, even if Fate was not so on your side, you played a good game for each duel. You'll do fine. And besides, I can always-"

There was a sudden pause, and it might have been a long one. Seto's eyes flashed eerily and Pegasus waited with much tension.

Finally, Seto's eyes dimmed back to normal and he began thrusting his arms down in despair.

" Iie! Iie! Iie iie iie iie iie! Not another one! Not another one! One I couldn't handle already. Two?"  
" Nani?" Pegasus blinked, then paled. " Kami-sama..."

  
  
Anna Kasekova jerked back as a vision met her. She saw into a near future. Some guard is going to pop out of the bushes and demand her for her evidence of being in the competition.

Natasha was already in the castle. Great, more competition for the Child. Richard was coming to the island shortly, and he's not a psychic, just a mere sorceror.

The guard popped out. She swung her leg and kicked. The guard went down. He was not going to get up anytime soon. Anna sighed. She needed another vision.

No visions.

Anna looked up at the sun. Noon.

Richard has already arrived. Now there are three psychics after the Child.

Kuso.

  
  
Yugi had went upstairs with Yami to comfort him the best he could while the rest tried their hardest to continue working. Seto is the important one. Not Yami. There will be time for sniffling later.

" It's bad enough Seto forgot to tell us that there are other psychics." Jou muttered. He suddenly remembered a duel with the blue haired Psycho-wannabe. But now he had a feeling that these psychos aren't fake ones.

Ryou blinked at an English one book.

" Apparently Seto came back more than once, after the Egyptian deal." He said to everyone. " Here's one also about Seto. He went under a different name though. Ilya Craner."  
" Sure that's him?" Honda asked.  
" Blue eyed angel, some say devil, with dark brown hair and pale skin. Tall and delicate. If you subtract the delicate and the pale skin you'll get Seto Kaiba."  
" There are many blue eyed brunettes, Ryou." Bakura pointed out.  
" Sure. Let's see, has an uncanny ability to predict the future. It was said that several Greeks saw him at Apollo's oracle at Delphi."  
" Prophet powers?" Isis blinked. " That sounds more like Seto."  
" Several murder attempts have been made on him," Ryou blinked. " All failed. He only died because he committed suicide. Let's see, what was the whole story?"

He began reading the pages.

" Ilya Craner was born into a noble family in 1404. The Craners disappeared seven years later, and only Ilya was left behind. I guess since the Craners were close to the King the King took him in, but this book didn't say anything about it. Nevertheless, Ilya was known to be constantly in despair and some thought he was mad...used forks as knives to stab his head and neck."  
" Spare us the details." Bakura muttered.  
" Alright," Ryou was silent for a moment. " When Ilya was seventeen he began to speak in riddles, and started to see a lot of things. His eyes also began glowing. Then England got all...well, screwy-not very impressive. Several strange people start appearing at the palace. One time Ilya was caught fighting with one of them. Before any of them could stop the attacker, Ilya was pinned to the wall, and out floated this little kid, around ten years of age. That ghost kid went off and Ilya went splat. Dead on contact. Three days later Ilya was walking around as if nothing happened. No one ever knew who the kid was, except he looked exactly like Ilya when he was ten. Ano...around twenty murders in one month, all related to Ilya. There are some more, but it goes on to say that Ilya was finally killed because in despair he threw himself off the cliff."  
" That's not especially helpful." Anzu frowned.

" Here's one from a sorceror." Ryou blinked after a moment. " The Child is an immortal being who is made of two forces; the Golden Radiance and the Silver Radiance. Since the universe is composed mainly of these two forces, the Child, therefore, has all the powers of the universe. However, since the Child is not originally a soul, his spirit can be broken down into these two forces and used as powers and forces alone. When this happens, the Child no longer has a conscience.  
Those who do this will suffer the wrath of Fate. The Child can often be recognized as a young boy of ten years, with eyes of blue and hair of brown and skin as white as snow. He will be wearing a silver circlet with sapphire stones embedded in them, and a long sleeveless tunic of bluish gray..."

  
  
" How's Bandit doing?" Seto was holding his head as he laid down the next card.  
" Pretty well, actually. No visions coming to her yet." Pegasus answered.  
" Pretty good." Seto nodded. " I want some popcorn."

Pegasus shrugged. " Sure."

Later, they were at the game again. Not really speaking, because each knew what the other was doing. They're just following their motives.

" How's he doing?" Seto asked. Pegasus would have been annoyed, and Seto wouldn't have cared that much about Bandit's welfare if it hadn't affected his very life.  
" Losing now."  
" About time."  
" Pretty bad though. We're going to have to think of some plan."

There were no plans to think of.

" Mokuba will take care of him."  
" You hope." Pegasus smiled. " Does Mokuba really have that much power?"  
" He surprises me often."  
" I see." Pegasus began to feel more confident. " Lets see, change of heart."  
" About time."

Moments later, Pegasus sighed and tossed his cards into the graveyard.

" Bandit just lost."

Seto nodded and tossed his into the graveyard. " Come along, ototo-chan." He muttered. " Be on time."

  
  
" So you're saying that Seto isn't real?" Shadi asked. " And that he's..."  
" Hai." Ryou nodded. " That's basically it. So Seto is in grave danger now."  
" In that case, we better get to Yami and Yugi." Anzu said. The group got to their feet and left the scrolls scattered on the table and floor.

  
  
" It's okay Yami, it's not something you could have helped." Yugi rubbed circles around Yami's back. " It's okay. It's not your fault. Seto's back, safe and sound, and you don't have to worry about the past."

Yami rubbed his tearfilled eyes and smiled weakly. " I guess you're right Yugi." He sighed. 

Just then, the door opened.

" Yami, Yugi, out, _now_." Shadi said quickly. " We have a psychic here to deal with!" 


	8. Chapter 8

Child of Fate

Chapter 8

Natasha stepped out into the hallway, with Bandit staring at the battlefield with a stunned expression on his face. She frowned.

The little Kaiba was there.

Mokuba glared at Natasha. The sorceror scanned her mind. No visions.

  
  
Mokuba was wary. This sorceress must be a fool to think her gifts could be depended on when it comes to hurting Oni-chan. But even so, she was very powerful. Seto only had his psychic abilities, and as dependable as they are, he doesn't know how to use his other abilities. He has no offensive attacks.

Mokuba, on the other hand, has many offensive and defensive attacks. The problem is, the sorceress does too, and with that added on to her psychic powers, however undependable, she still had an advantage.

But if Fate really cared for her son, she will care for his brother.

" Who do you think you are to stand in my way?" Natasha asked.  
" Why should I not?" Mokuba asked. " I know who you are and why you are here."  
" If you really know who I am, it would be wise for you to step aside."  
" Really? I don't think so. Are any visions coming to you?" Mokuba taunted. _Please Oni-chan, get out of here._

Natasha's eyes flashed. " Are you questioning my powers?"  
" Maybe." Mokuba answered. " How about we settle this a civilized way." He took out a deck of cards in his right hand, " Unless you choose to settle it in a more barbaric way." In his left hand he held a dagger. It was small. But it was powerful.

Natasha's eyes gleamed. She smiled. " I always like to play games before I kill my opponents." She said.

  
  
" Mokuba just challenged her into a duel."  
" He'll win."   
" How do you know?"  
" We have a connection. I had a vision."

Pegasus paused. " Are you sure of that?"  
" Fate is on my side, for now." Seto muttered.  
" Good gracious." Pegasus sighed. " And now the next one is entering the castle."  
" Anna, I presume."  
" Hai."

  
  
" So you met Bakura that time."  
" Of course. I was the High Priest."  
" So...what crime did he commit?"  
" Tomb robbing. What else?"  
" How did you punish him?"  
" The Ring."  
" You did that?"  
" Of course. Who else? The Pharaoh? The Pharaoh didn't have that kind of power."  
" So you banished the Pharaoh as well, into that puzzle."  
" I didn't do it."  
" Then who did?"  
" I don't know. I was dead, remember?"

Pegasus paused. " So that's why Bakura's bitter."  
" He's always bitter. He's a thief."  
" A thief ought to have a heart, though."  
" You've never read Oliver Twist."  
" Crime and Punishment."  
" Never read that. Not a Japanese book."  
" Of course not."  
" Sordid lifestyle they led, back then. They start out as pickpockets. Bakura was part of a gang that time. Malik was in it. So were a few others who were not important."  
" Bakura was important?"  
" He was one of the best. They live a very low and dishonorable life, mainly because they didn't see the point in finding jobs. It's sad, actually, how they act tough and yet they were so scared of being beheaded or buried alive. Yet they still do it, because they knew no better."  
" So you didn't give Bakura any of those punishments."  
" Iie. This one was far worse. If he didn't do anything to me I guess I would have just killed him."  
" What did he do to you?"

Seto was silent.

" Oh..." Pegasus paled. " Oh! Good god! Does he know?"  
" Iie, he's long forgotten." Seto answered. " In fact, I forgot too. I'm not afraid of him. If he has that in his blood, he won't act it out anytime soon."  
" Are you sure?"  
" His main interest is Ryou now." Seto answered. " And since I already punished him fatally the last time he violated me, he'll think twice before doing it again. And that time I did not have Fate on my side."

  
  
" What was going on in that room?" Croquet asked.  
" A lot of things." Mokuba answered, slipping his deck into his shirt pocket. " Where's Pegasus?"  
" Downstairs with your brother." The man blinked. " Is there anyone in there?"  
" Oh, of course," Mokuba answered. " But you might not want to go in there. She's...ah, quite inclined to throw fire at whatever target she might find when she's angry, like right now. I'll have to meet my brother, but you ought to stay away from this door lest she comes out while still fuming."  
" Is there a fire in there?" The astonished man sniffed.  
" Maybe." Mokuba shrugged. " But don't you worry. I put all flamable stuff in a pile in there. The fire will go on."

The guard gave a cry of surprise and Mokuba reassured him that he was only jesting, and went downstairs laughing to himself.

  
  
Bandit Keith seethed in his room. He was so going to kick that woman's butt. Suddenly, there was laughter outside. Bandit raised his head in surprise as the door suddenly opened and Kaiba came in, panting. He took one look around the room, noticing Bandit, and started laughing anew.  
" Gomen!" He slowly got the better of his mirth, " Good heavens, the smoke made its way all the way over here?"

Just then a cloud of smoke puffed into the room and Seto quickly shut the door, and helped Bandit open the windows.  
" Serves Mokuba right," Seto laughed cheerfully. " Angering a woman that way, eh? Especially a sorceress! You look like you've seen better days, Keith-san. But you can drop that thought of revenge on the sorceress; she was already defeated. Unfortunately, she'll come for me harder than ever, but I guess Yami and the others will prevent her enough for me to escape, don't you think?"  
" You _are _mad." Bandit observed.  
" Perhaps." Seto looked at him, to his surprise rather solemnly. " Did the others say that? Quite chattery, they are."

Bandit blinked. This time Seto was speaking in English to him, with a slight British accent.

" Well! The sorceress is coming! I guess the others didn't do that much of a good job. When Mokuba knocks open the door for him. He'll put out the flames if they come. Ja for now!" He leaped onto the edge of the window and jumped up, his trenchcoat fluttering after him. Bandit gave a cry of surprise, and looked up to find that-

Seto had disappeared.

  
  
Mokuba had just come down the stairs when the door to the arena opened and out came Natasha, red with all her wrath. Seto had taken her good humoredly and had fleed from her, with Mokuba, up the stairs straight into Bandit's room. Mokuba laughed at Natasha in mockery and resolved to battle her with magic, and quite frankly neither of them lost.

But then Anna came. And then things began to get not so lighthearted.

  
  
Seto climbed on top of the roof and looked up at the taller tower. He could easily scamper up that, but then, if he could, so could the sorceresses, and he knew Anna came in already. So he looked around and chose the most difficult pathway. Down. Over the cliff.

He jumped at first and rolled, letting less of the impact injure him. He rolled to his feet. Glancing up he saw he was already halfway down the cliff. He started running down and he leaped over the sharp rocks onto a flat one. The momentum was perfect. The sorceresses will have a harder time now.

Diving into the water, he suddenly thought of something. What of the others? Perhaps the sorceresses wouldn't care for them, but then, he never knew. Floating back up he hesitated. His eyes flashed. They're going to leave them alone, but he'll be captured this way. Shooting out of the water, he used his internal magic for the first time.

He arrived at the helicopter, and with a shake of his hand he was all dry. He jumped in, buckled up, flicked the appropriate switches and the helicopter started. Getting off the ground he circled the castle. Mokuba raised his head and saw the helicopter, and so did the sorceresses. They ran after Mokuba, who leaped into the helicopter, and the two brothers flew off safely.

Pegasus sighed in relief. The Kaibas are safe, for now. But the sorceresses-

He turned around. " Shadi! Yugi! Yami!"

The others ran to him. " We lost them." Bakura panted. " They burst in smoke. Then they were gone."

  
  
Bandit came home fully dissatisfied. He was beaten by a mere girl! What was her name, Mai? 

He turned on the radio and threw himself on the bed. Good heavens. Picking up a newspaper he read the front page.

He started up.

  
  
It was nighttime in Domino. Yugi and Co had returned home an hour ago and were at Yugi's home, discussing everything that happened. Occasionally Ryou, Jou, or Yugi would sigh, go to the phone and dial, wait for a moment, only to hang up again. Once Honda left a message. No one returned it.

Finally, Yami was too restless.

" If I sit here any longer, I think I'll kill someone. I'm so sure Seto is at the mansion. I'm going there."  
" We're coming with you." Anzu said. And it wasn't difficult. They were all of the same mind. Seto had disappeared around five days before the end of the championship and the sorceresses did too. Pegasus was anxious, and because he was, so were they.

What happened to Seto?

  
  
Pegasus nodded. " Faster. We must make haste."

The pilot obeyed. Pegasus strained his eyes, and spotted a red glow.

" Already?!" He cried, and could have tried to leap to his feet had not the seat belt restrained him.

  
  
  
Mokuba hissed.

Seto had brought them back to Domino in several hours. But the sorceresses were already there, waiting. Seto said that they wouldn't attack until several days later, when the sorceror will come to join them.

Now he did. And they were in _big_ trouble.

There was fire everywhere. He could not see his big brother. Flames lashed out and burned at his legs. He shot his hand out and out flew bright light, but still the sorcerors laughed and dodged. Something struck at his back. He fell forward with a cry, his head rested against the burning hot soil.

_Oni-chan, I-_

Strong arms wrapped around his waist and he felt himself being lifted up. Seto cradled his brother and looked wildly at the sorcerors. What had once been a laughing child is now a terror-stricken victim. Seto's eyes flashed in the glow of the fire. The sorcerors and prophets stood around him in a circle.

  
  
Pegasus jumped off the plane and looked at the fires.

" Kami-sama." 

He cursed, flicking out his cell phone and dialed as he ran.

" Moshi moshi?" The voice on the other side answered.

Sugoruku!

" Get Yugi on the phone!" Pegasus yelled over the roar of the flames. " NOW!"

There was a hurried frenzy on the other side. Yugi's voice answered.  
" Yugi! Get over here to the Kaiba Mansion! And take the others with you except for those without the items."  
" What's going on there?" Yugi asked, panicking.  
" Our friends followed Seto to Domino." Pegasus answered. Then he froze.

Seto held his brother to him tightly. _Someone help us..._

Something lashed out at him. Seto gave a great cry as his left wrist began to burn against the golden ropes. He tugged, keeping his hold on Mokuba. He could hear the ambulence and the fire truck. People were screaming. Seto cried out as another rope caught around his neck. Choking, he refused to let go of Mokuba. His brother would burn in here!

" Seto!"

Seto looked up at the sound of his name just as something wrapped around his mouth, forming a gag. His eyes flashed and the flames sizzled a little, but he was unused to working his powers and was sadly inexperienced.

Something began wrapping around him. Seto saw Pegasus's shadow and light shooting out of his left eye and he heard a scream from the sorceresses. He looked down.

Mummies were wrapped in bandages.

They were wrapping him!

Tugging fiercely, he finally let go of Mokuba, who fell to the ground senseless. He tugged again, choking and wheezing. He closed his eyes as the final bandage wrapped around his eyes. He writhed.

" Seto!"

  
  
It was amazing. All the duelists were there. Bandit, Weevil, Rex. Because this may be the end of the world champion.

Pegasus stood with the crowd hopelessly, holding on to the unconscious Mokuba. Seto was still in there among the flames, but the flames wouldn't be quenched. The crowd was huge and they all stared on with horror and shock.

The Big Five stood around Pegasus, also looking on. Whether they were glad or not, Pegasus did not bother to find out. He called to Seto again and again, sometimes shaking at Mokuba, sometimes looking for Yugi and the others.

The shadow that use to be Seto fell sideways. Just then, several clumps of the mansion fell around the mummified figure. The roar of the flames was deafening. The sirens were screeching. Pegasus looked on in horror. He ignored the gasps and cries.

The sky was black, as black as a death. Pegasus shook desperately at Mokuba, then turned to the figure in the flames, hope dying in his heart.

Suddenly, a figure leaped out of the scorching corpse. Pegasus felt his heart leap to his throat. The figure was a child. But the boy was not human at all. He shed a white light over his surroundings and looked like he was misplaced somehow, like one of those tricks people play on computers with a firey scene and a person pasted on from another more tranquil picture.

This was not some computer. This was real.

" Pegasus!"

Pegasus did not turn around, but he knew it was Yami. The group ran up beside him.

" Seto!" Yugi cried,   
" He came out!" Ryou breathed.

The child within the flames looked about him. Suddenly, something golden struck out. The boy dodged.

Pegasus handed Mokuba to Jou. " Seto!"

The child turned to his direction.

" Seto, come here!" Pegasus pleaded. _Come on, Seto,_

The boy hesitated a second, then darted his way. Something struck at his leg and the child tumbled, but regained his footing in time to dodge the second. The boy jumped and Pegasus caught him.

" Iie!" He heard a woman yell. " Get him!"

Pegasus whirled around without thinking, wrapping his arms securely around the little body and fled as if the dogs were on him. Jou and the others followed, and occasionally Yami would turn around and use some power of his to drive the sorcerors back. The crowd cleared the way and closed behind them, half conscious of what was going on.

A car pulled up. It was one of Pegasus's friends, Itys, a CEO of an oil company. The others climbed in with him.

" Arigatou." Pegasus said to Itys as they drove out of there. " You came just in time."  
" _That's_ Seto Kaiba?" Itys pointed, incredulously.  
" Kuso." Pegasus wasn't listening to him. " What are we going to do with you, little one? You have no body anymore."  
" Nani?" Itys blinked. The others sighed.  
" Kami-sama." Pegasus muttered.

  
  
Pegasus, unlike Seto, was a very social person, even when it came to business. He had called Itys when he read Seto's frenzied mind before he boarded the helicopter. Itys was gracious enough to come without questioning, but now in the limo, pretty much safe from harm, driving over to Itys's mansion, the group had a lot of explaining to do.

So Shadi and the others explained up to the point where Seto ran into Bandit's room by accident. Then Pegasus gave an account of how Seto ended up in Domino with Mokuba, and were surrounded by sorceresses so they couldn't escape.

They had to explain Seto's prophetic powers, and Yami and the others had to explain Seto's spirit.

  
  
Seto's ghost, who had been hurriedly named Tenko by Pegasus, appeared to get over his fright quite quickly. He was curious about the limo. He was curious about Yugi, about Jou, Honda, Anzu, Shadi, Isis, and Malik. He was not curious about Ryou. He appeared not to be interested in Ryou, but when he saw the Ring he would not go near him.  
" What's wrong, Tenko?" Pegasus asked, gravely tired, but Tenko huddled on his lap near him and began whimpering, making strange clicking and whistling noises, which was all he ever made ever since he came out.  
" Tenko, Bakura wouldn't hurt you." Ryou reassured the child. But Tenko rattled in his throat and edged even further away from Ryou.  
" Why is he so scared of him?" Itys asked.

So the Millennium Items had to be explained to him. Itys, was actually very moralistic, and he did not show any signs of darkness or corruption, even when the others had added in a few pointers on how powerful the items were.

When they were done speaking they suddenly realized something. Tenko hadn't moved all the while.

So they all turned to Pegasus.   
" Aww, how kawaii!" Anzu cried, softly of course, because Tenko fell asleep on Pegasus's shoulder and Pegasus was rubbing his back comfortingly.

They arrived at their destination and Pegasus carefully carried Tenko out. Itys showed them their rooms and Pegasus tucked the covers of Tenko's bed around the child. Then they hurried to the living room.

" Seto's body just burned back there." Pegasus hissed. " No doubt it's ashes by now. What are we going to do with a ghost? Everyone was after Tenko for centuries and he always had a body to protect him. But now he's staying here without a barrier."  
" What do you want us to do?" Shadi asked. " Find another body?"  
" Why not? Where's Mokuba? Where's Jou?"  
" Jou is putting him in his room. What do you think? But I still don't understand. Do you want us to find another body?"  
" Iie, that wouldn't be proper." Pegasus hesitated.  
" So?" Honda asked impatiently.  
" Do you think the High Priests's body will be alright?"  
" Pegasus!" Shadi hissed. " That's absurd!"  
" But really. Somehow, if we can let Tenko heal that other body somehow, it will be fine!"  
" So have a headless Seto? Perhaps you can have a pumpkin for a head! Pegasus, that is mad!"  
" You never know. Did you mummify him?"  
" Did we mummify him, Isis?" Shadi asked. " I can't remember. We usually don't mummify criminals unless it's one of their punishments...I think we did though. Perhaps the Pharaoh's conscience got the better of him..."

  
  
" You are crazy, Pegasus." Itys said over and over again as the two men rode the plane over to Egypt. " Other people say that you're crazy and now I agree. Seriously, what could a skeleton do to serve Tenko?"  
" You don't understand. From what I know, the High Priest planted some kind of magic before the execution. I'm not sure who knew it, I think it was Tenko himself."  
" Oh, right, you can read minds." Itys muttered. " But still, without a head, that body won't serve anything."  
" You never know if it really doesn't have a head." Pegasus answered, although he was growing sick to the stomach. _Last time I remember I was hating Seto's guts._  
" I still say you're crazy."  
" Say what you want."

" He's going _where?_" Bakura shouted.

Mokuba winced. Tenko scolded the spirit with a series of undecipherable clicks, although Mokuba could decipher them. Bakura hissed and Tenko jumped back.

" To Egypt." The younger child answered. " They're looking for the High Priest's body."  
" Pegasus is crazy. That's it." Jou said, throwing his hands up in the air. " What could Tenko do with a skeleton?"

Tenko answered with a weird noise that might mean " Beats me", but it's impossible to tell.

Anzu suddenly squeezed Tenko's waist, and the spirit squeaked.  
" Strange." She observed. " Seto's like a squeeze toy."

Tenko snapped his teeth at Anzu, and the girl quickly let go of him. Too late though, because Honda was bolder, and he began squeezing Tenko's waist, making Tenko squeak each time.

The scene was so hilarious that although everyone was still concerned about Pegasus, they couldn't help but laugh at the two of them, especially since Seto, in his spirit form, was rather small, around the size of a ten or eleven year old.

As amusing as it was, it appeared to be uncomfortable for Seto, naturally, and the child began to-cry.

Although Yami busied himself with getting Honda off Tenko and comforting the little spirit, he couldn't help but notice that the sobs were very humanlike. 


End file.
